this is the beat of my heart
by Fist-it-Out
Summary: Sometimes, love is the only solution. Other times, love is the problem. When you're in love with a zombie, it's bigger than just 'a problem'. A story about life together and the twists, turns, ups, and downs that come with it. The story of a girl and a zombie, coming together to change the world.
1. Prologue

It might be crazy but did you hear the story?

The story of a picture perfect town called Seabrook, divided by the perfects and the not-perfects.

The story of an unlikely duo coming together, even when the world tried to keep them apart.

The story of two people who would've never guess they had anything in common.

The story of two people who managed to change the world an have their happily ever after.

What could go so wrong in the story of a girl and a zombie?

Okay, so they didn't _exactly_ change the world. They barely even changed Seabrook.

"You can't just change things with one person and a pair of pom poms." Though spoken by a very negative zombie, she was—like always—extremely accurate.

It took years of hard work, terrible discrimination, and _a lot_ of law breaking to get to an remotely equal society, where zombies and humans were treated (slightly more) equal.

This is that story. The story of a girl and a zombie, coming together to change the world.

This is the story of Zed and Addison.


	2. from where you are

In retrospect, maybe staying up all night—watching old cheer routines and tumbling in the backyard—was a bad idea. Even though Addison's dad had assured him that he wouldn't get in trouble for being out after dark (especially in his own backyard) Zed had persuaded Addison to go in after midnight, when they watched hours of her old cheer competitions from cheer champ. It wasn't the content that kept him there and awake, rather getting to spend time with Addison without worrying about interruptions like school bells or their friends or something.

Addison had slept a few hours between 2 A.M. and 6 A.M., Zed even less. He had woken up an hour (or more) before her and had slipped away from the couch to make some breakfast.

He was exhausted and sore; he had a small headache which he knew would get worse and start pounded in time with his heartbeat (which wasn't that much to begin with, but still annoying). Cooking wasn't necessarily going to help make him feel any better, but it was a good distraction.

He hadn't noticed when Addison woke up and wandered into the kitchen, until she wrapped her arms around his middle, making him jump in surprise. "Something smells good," she said from behind him.

"Ah yes," Zed stated, "I'm not sure you're aware but I do have the ability to cook, Addison."

Addison laughed, moving around him and hopping onto the counter. "How long was I out?"

Zed shrugged. "I was too invest in your absolutely stunning performance at the 2009 district finals to pay attention to time."

"Please," she scoffed. "It was not perfect at all."

Like reflex, Zed said, "Everything you do is perfect." Addison ducked her head down to hide her blush. She was so adorable that way.

"What're you cooking?" she asked to change the subject.

"Breakfast."

"Ha ha," Addison laughed dryly. "Seriously though. It smells good, it looks...good or something. I dunno what it's supposed to look like."

"Scrambled brains and cauli-brains," Zed answered. When Addison looked lost, he went on to explain, "Scrambled eggs and seasoned, steamed cauliflower. It's a typical zombie-breakfast."

"Mm, sounds yummy." Zed winked at her, making her giggle lightly.

Addison set the table for the two of them while Zed finished up the meal. Once he had finished cooking, he set it on the plates, bringing them to the small, circular table. Addison sat across from him, pouring them both glasses of orange juice. They ate in silence for the most part, save the light laughs and giggles whenever they'd look up and find the other making faces at them.

Addison was the first to break the comfortable silence, asking, "Did you sleep Zed?"

He shrugged simply, taking a moment to swallow his last bite. "I was watching your videos all night. I think I slept a little during your 2014 district semifinals, but not all the way through."

"You're not tired?"

"Oh I'm exhausted. But I'm not really in the mood for sleep." Zed shrugged. "I feel like I could go forty more hours no sleep."

Addison tilted her head to look at him. "You're insane, Zed."

He winked her playfully, making her giggle. "You should seriously get some sleep, though," she said.

He shrugged. "I'm already undead."

"Zed!"

Zed laughed, his head falling back against the chair. Addison threw a grape at him in protest, making him laugh harder.

Zed turned around at the sound of hurried footsteps, grinning widely when Addison's parents came downstairs. They both looked at him strangely, as if they were surprised he was still there. "Good morning," he called. "Sorry if we woke you."

"Morning," Addison called.

"Good morning," Addison's dad, Dale, said skeptically. "We weren't expecting you here." After a second, he added, "Still, I mean."

"Or for you to be up so early," her mother, Missy, added begrudgingly. "Or to make breakfast. Addy I didn't even know you could cook."

"Zed made breakfast," Addison explained. "It's _delicious_."

"I hope you don't mind," Zed added. "There's some still on the stove if you'd like."

"Um, thank you, but no thank you," Dale rushed out. Zed understood; things between them were okay-ish since the Cheer Championship the week before. It wasn't make-breakfast-for-each-other okay (yet). Baby steps.

"Do you two plan on staying here all day?"

Zed glanced at Addison, raising an eyebrow at her as if to ask is she wanted to do anything. She looked at him, telling her parents, "No. We'll finish up breakfast and get out of your hair."

Her parents nodded, heading back upstairs on that note. Zed turned back toward Addison, who had went back to her food, shaking her head. "What _are_ our plans?" Zed asked.

Addison shrugged, her head ducked down to hide her smile. "A relaxing day at the beach. Maybe a picnic too. It's the perfect way to kill a Saturday."

"You wanna go to the beach?" Addison nodded. "With me?" Addison nodded again as if it were obvious.

It was in times like this when, Zed remembered how completely oblivious Addison was to the zombie segregation in Seabrook. She'd forget—quite often actually—that basic human rights were denied to zombies. That was something no cheer competition would change.

In the most gentle tone he could muster, Zed told her, "Zombies can't swim, Addy. Like, we aren't welcomed at public pools or at the beach, and we definitely don't know how to swim either."

"Oh." Addison was quite for a minute, picking at her food.

Zed felt a little bad. Add beach picnics to the list of dates ruined because he was a zombie. Addison deserved better than to have almost every idea to spend time with him shut down. She deserved to be in a relationship with someone...better. Someone who didn't have to worry about what they could and couldn't do every time an opportunity came up.

"Bucky has a pool," she muttered.

Zed raised an eyebrow at her. She looked up from her plate, explaining, "We can go to Bucky's pool."

"Bucky hates me."

"Bucky does not hate you."

Zed looked at her like she was crazy. "Are we talking about the same Bucky? You know, jazz hands—" he mocked Bucky's trademark jazz hands and smile. "—cheer captain, _hates_ zombies?"

"He doesn't _hate_ zombies," she said meekly. "Sure, he's not your biggest fan but I think he's really starting to warm up to you."

"Plus," she went on. "His parents—the ones you _really_ should worry about—are outta town. It'd just be us and Bucky, maybe. Lemme call him. Is that okay? Do you wanna go?"

Zed had his skepticism. On the one hand, he'd be spending all day with Addison, who he was in love with and who was his...well maybe-girlfriend (they hadn't really talked about it ever). But on the other hand, he couldn't swim, he didn't even have a bathing suit. And Bucky might be there as well, who he was pretty sure still held a vendetta against him.

But Addison was making that face, the adorable face with a pout and a pleading look in her eyes. Her hands were folded and she had to tilt her head up to actually look in his eyes. "Pretty please with double vanilla on top?"

Zed chuckled, letting his head duck down. ' _She's so cute_ ,' he thought. "I have to get a bathing suit first."

Addison whooped loudly, transitioning to an adorable, uncontrollable fit of giggles.

* * *

Buying a bathing suit from the store might have posed a problem, but finding an old one from before the outbreak—locked away in an old storage unit that had been raided on many accounts—was a much easier feat. A lot of the clothes that were still in wearable conditions were out of style, but it was still better than the coveralls (or swimming in boxers or naked).

He stuffed the clothes he found in his recently upheaved backpack, along with a bath towel and a spare change of clothes. He hadn't _actually_ been to a beach or a pool, but he'd seen people go to the beach/pool in movies and television.

After packing a bag and getting in an hour more of sleep, Zed made his way back to Addison's house. He was only mildly surprised to find her sitting on the front steps. She was having a hushed argument over the phone, her attention on the grass in front of her. She glanced at him as he approached, giving a little finger wave and motioning for him to sit beside her. She wasn't talking when he was close enough to hear, just listening and nodding along, a deep frown on her face.

"Yeah okay. Whatever you say, Bucky." Addison sighed, rubbing a hand over her face as Bucky talked again.

She seemed a lot more stressed than the last time Zed had seen her (five hours ago). He wasn't sure what exactly she was talking about, but it was clear she had given up on her side of the argument. Zed scooted closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder to comfort her. She melted against his side, nuzzling her head in his shoulder.

She tilted her head up at him, asking in a whisper, "Are you gonna swim in a shirt?"

Zed thought for a second before shaking his head. "He said no," she recited in her phone.

Bucky said something, almost loud enough for Zed to hear. "I'm not forcing you to babysit us!" Addison countered.

Another pause. "It's Zed! You know Zed!"

Another pause and then she groaned. Zed laughed quietly; whatever they were arguing about had something to do with him and it sounded ridiculous.

"Okay Bucky," she said, sighing. "You're right, you're totally right. It's your house, it's your rules."

She nodded, listening to him as he talked. "Yeah we're on our way now. See you soon...He's been here for a while now yeah...Okay Bucky, bye."

"Good morning," Zed greeted cheekily.

Addison scoffed (fondly), resting her head on his shoulder. "I just...gimme a second to get it together," she sighed.

Zed kissed the top of her head. "Take as long as you need."

Addison held onto the hand hanging over her shoulder, rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand. Zed sat there quietly for five minutes, silently admiring her outfit. He'd only ever seen her in school (and outside a few times), and her clothes didn't usually involve a combination of the only two colors everyone wore in Seabrook that their entire outfit was centered around. No one ever really mixed the two colors.

Addison—always the barrier breaker—had matched together a pair of dark, almost velvet-colored pink jean shorts and a pastel blue long sleeved, paired with a (darker) pastel headband, pulling her frosty hair back. He could see the pale blue strings of her bathing suit tied around her neck as well.

She looked cute, and also a little depressed. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation.

"Okay," she sighed, pulling away. "Come on, let's go."

They stood up as one, Addison stretching her back out. "Are you hungry? It's almost lunch time. You want pizza?"

Zed laughed. "I think _you_ want pizza."

"Pizza is so good!" Addison laughed. "Oh my god, Mimi's—it's a few blocks away—they have such good pizza. Do you wanna go?"

Zed shrugged innocently. "Sure let's go. I'm excited."

Addison grinned, taking his hand in her own and leading the way. They made the ten minute walk in a comfortable silence, their interlocked hands swinging between them with every step. Every few minutes they'd glance at each other at the same time and giggle and blush.

People were definitely judging them, disgusted and appalled at the sight of a girl and a zombie walking hand-in-hand down the street. No one said anything to their faces, though, keeping their thoughts more to themselves or their travel companions. Zed, who was more used to the avoidance and blatant disgust, was grinning and making faces at Addison as they went.

Mimi's was a cute little Italian restaurant, probably family-owned. The best part was that there weren't ' _ **No Zombies**_ ' signs posted on the windows or the doors. Zed opened the door for her, and two teen girls from school who he'd seen before in his history class, before going in himself.

He scanned the area again, just in case there may have been a ' _ **No Zombies**_ ' sign on the inside. All he found was a relatively empty dining room. There were like three tables full; one with a small family, another with an older couple, and the last one with the two girls from his history class.

The hostess—a lady who looked to be somewhere in her forties—looked between the two of them, a sort of uneasy smile on her face. "We-welcome to Mimi's? Um, h-how many?" she stammered out.

Addison reached behind herself to hold Zed's hand, smiling proudly. "Two please."

The hostess nodded, typing away at her keyboard. She grabbed up two menus, instructing them to follow her. They walked across the dining area, drawing the attention of everyone in it. They passed every empty, clean table there was, instead being ushered into a corner in the back with three or so tables that were obviously less cared for. There was a section of wall separating the two areas.

"You're server will be with you soon," the hostess rushed out, dropping their menus on a table before rushing out.

Addison shrugged, sliding into her chair (one with the back to the rest of the dining room). Zed sat across from her, giving her a small smile before picking up his menu. On the wall sectioning off the two areas, he noticed a sign reading ' _ **No Zombies Beyond This Point**_ '. If Addison were to see it, she'd probably make big deal out of it. Zed was just happy that he was allowed in the first place. Progress was progress, no matter how subtle.

"What does the lady recommend?" he asked her.

Addison grinned at him over her own menu, giving a fond eye roll. "I think you'd love the pepperoni pizza."

"I would, _but…_ "

She raised an eyebrow at him, placing her menu down. "But?"

"I'm not 'technically' allowed to eat meat."

Addison raised an eyebrow, placing her menu down. "What do you mean by 'technically'?"

Zed shrugged. "Technically as in it's not very legal for zombies to eat meat."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Addison deadpanned.

Zed shrugged again. "I honestly don't make the laws. I just don't want this date to be ruined by a zombie patrol bursting in and dragging me away to zombie containment." He shivered, adding, "It's terrible there."

"But, but that's terrible!" she exclaimed in frustration. Her cheeks were flushing red, probably from anger. "It's _stupid_ , that's what." It's exactly the type of thing he expected her to do.

Zed reached across the table, taking a hold of her hand. "Hey, Addy, it's fine. It's not a big deal."

"It's not nothing, Zed," she stated in disbelief. "It's like…it's so stupid, Zed. Meat? Like they restrict _meat_ , of all things?"

Zed sighed softly. "It's not a big deal, Addy. Trust me. I've gone fifteen years without it, and I can go another. It's just life, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do."

"But...but _why_?"

Zed shrugged. "My dad says it's to quench any cravings for brains or human flesh or things like that."

"But...But it's just so stupid, Zed."

Zed shrugged helplessly. "It's honestly not something to get worked up about."

Addison frowned deeply but didn't protest. "Who were you on the phone with earlier?" Zed asked.

"Bucky," she sighed, scratching her head. "He called my mom—who called my dad—because he has Saturday detention. You know, cause of the whole 'planning then endangering the entire student body because he couldn't handle sharing the spotlight' thing. And Mom doesn't trust us alone together at a pool all afternoon."

"Because I'm a zombie."

Addison snorted (yes, actually snorted). "No because you're a boy."

Zed was mildly surprised. ' _That's a first_ ,' Zed thought.

"Mom and Dad are very strict about how much freedom they give me with regards to guys. I get it, I guess. I'm their only child, so they don't want to lose me I guess. Anyway they said we can't go to the pool alone. They called Bucky and now my mom is gonna be there—babysitting is like we're toddlers—until Bucky gets back with his toy of the week."

Zed raised an eyebrow at that. "He usually spends the weekend with one of the Acey's, or two or all three." She shrugged. "It's beside the point. I don't really concern myself with the ways Bucky spends his weekends. I'm more focused on the complete lack of faith they have in me, and you."

Zed shrugged innocently. "I don't really mind if we're being supervised. What's the worse that can happen?"

Addison gave him a look, opening her mouth to respond. Their server came just before she could start, clearing her throat loudly. "Can I start you guys with drinks?"

"A water for me," Zed started.

"I'll have a lemonade. No pulp please, light on the ice."

The server jotted it down quickly. "Any appetizers? Or do you wanna jump on the main course?"

Zed glanced at his date, smiling lightly. "You want anything, Addy?"

"Just a large pie. Cheese please."

The server nodded, taking their menus and rushing off. Zed grinned at Addison. "Now, what were we talking about again?"

* * *

"Woah." Bucky's house was _huge_. It was bigger than Addison's. It sat in the center of a cul-de-sac, a full story higher than all the other houses in the area. The colors matched the colors of Seabrook High, which Zed thought was a little weird.

Mayor Missy followed them, pushing a space between their linked arms. "Leave room for God, kids," she reminded them (hopefully jokingly).

"Mom," Addison groaned.

Zed grinned at her, taking a step to the outside. He glanced back at Mayor Missy, asking, "Is this better?"

"Much, thank you Zed."

"Mom you're being very 'helicopter-parent'," Addison pointed out.

"I do this because I care, Sweetie."

"Mom," Addison whined.

Zed laughed, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "You're so grumpy when you're tired, Addy."

"And who's fault is that, huh Zed? I seem to recall _you_ being the reason I was up all night."

Zed laughed at her, squeezing her hand. Addison continued talking. "It's weird. It's like you're not affected at all."

Zed shrugged, watching as Addison opened the gate to the backyard. "I've been running on pure adrenaline for the past few hours."

"Hm," Addison nodded. She pulled him along the outer edge, walking on a stone path through the grass. From what he could tell, the backyard was a lot bigger than most in Seabrook—everyone lived in pretty much the same styled-house, figures Bucky would be the difference. All he could see from where they were walking was the stone path surrounded by beautiful colors and plants.

"And I'm also partially dead."

"Ah yes. I often forget you're a zombie."

Zed looked at her strangely. "My hair is green and my skin is deathly pale. It is literally my defining characteristic, Addy."

"I was being sarcastic, Zed." Addison led the way toward a small, one-story house at the end of the backyard. "Change in the pool house, Zombie. Unless you've got you're swim trunks already on?"

"A—a pool house?"

Addison grinned at him, pulling out a set of keys from her pocket and unlocking the door. "It's a rich people thing. Bucky's parents are _loaded_ , Zed. Now can you manage to change by yourself you do you need assistance?"

Zed smirked at her, stepping through the doorway. "Tryna peep at my glorious abs, Addy?"

Addison rolled her eyes, a smile playing at her lips. "I'll be right out here, Zed. Don't take too long."

"No peeking," he warned.

Addison laughed as he closed the door, dropping the curtain over the glass panels. He quickly changed from his coveralls to his swim trunks. "Can I leave my stuff in here?" Zed called.

"Yeah," she called back. Zed nodded to himself, moving his belongings onto a couch. He grabbed his towel, heading back to the door.

As he stepped out, Addison added, "Just bring your tow—..." She trailer off, her eyes traveling over his exposed skin and zeroing in on his chest. "Your...your towel," she muttered.

She swallowed thickly, asking in a quiet voice, "Wha-what happened?"

Zed glanced down at his chest, frowning at the sight. The veins wrapping around his heart were dark and swollen, leaving the outline of the organ clear on his chest. The veins branched out across his chest, fading back to hidden as they reached his limbs. Except on his left arm, the one where he had his z-band. The veins stretched down his arms, fading away inches above his elbow. They throbbed with each heartbeat—which were few and far between, around the range of 40 bpm (which was, like, half of the rate for humans).

"It's nothing to worry about," he assured her. "It's a zombie thing, Addy."

"Oh," she said quietly. "Okay, I guess."

She stared for a second longer before swallowing audibly, stepping around him. "I'm gonna...change."

"Okay?"

"Yeah."

"Addy."

She hummed in response.

"You haven't moved Addy."

She nodded. "Right, of course. I'll be right back."

Addison was gone short of a minute, returning later in just a pale blue bikini and sandals, fluffing her now unrestrained hair. "The pool's just on the other side of the house," she said, gesturing behind herself.

She shook her air out before grinning up at him, grabbing his hand. "I think my mom has a water gun with her," Addison whispered, "So she can spray us whenever she sees us doing something she doesn't like."

Zed chuckled lightly at her joke. He had only known her mother for two days (only if you were counting the five minute conversation they had the night before) but she didn't seem like the type of person to do that. Hell, not many people in Seabrook would do that. In a community where everyone acts perfect and demonstrates perfect behavior, there's almost zero need to over parent. It was the main reason that Zed knew they were being babysat, not because he was a guy, because he was a zombie.

"Zed?"

"Yes dear?"

She gave him a funny look. "Are we gonna ignore the elephant in the room?"

Zed glanced around. "I see no elephant, nor a room that we are in."

Addison punched his shoulder, the one not covered in veins. "You know what I meant!" Zed laughed at her expense.

"Are you gonna explain what's going on with your chest?"

Zed glanced down dramatically at his chest. "Oh, this. Yeah, it's from the z-band hack. Dr. Sanchez—he works at the Zombie Containment—says it's a side effect from it, at least."

"I don't understand," she admitted sheepishly.

Zed shrugged. "It's permanent damage. Eliza would say that no one cares enough to do any extensive research on what the heck happened, but that's Eliza for you."

They rounded a corner, the path switching from stone to a fancy material (Addison had told him later that it was marble). The pool, a clear blue, was pear shaped, like 30 feet long and at its smallest point was probably 8 feet wide.

Addison's mom had pulled up a patio table and chair a few feet from the pool, her laptop and other boring, mayor stuff, spread out on top.

"Does it hurt?" Addison asked, her voice full of concern. It was sweet of her, in his opinion. She was just too nice—too pure—for this world.

Zed shrugged. It hurt like a bitch, yeah. The skin surrounding his z-band was still red and his arm felt more lifeless than ever. His torso felt tight and constrained constantly. But all of it was his decision. He'd seen before what happened when a zombie 'tweaked' their z-band, and it wasn't pretty.

In a different situation, he'd have told her in a heartbeat. But now, he knew he couldn't. He didn't want to worry her, or have her go through what she had back at the Homecoming game. Seeing her so upset, so deflated, crying and trying to save him, it had broken his heart.

"Not really," he lied easily. When he noticed her still unconvinced look, he went on to assure her, "I don't usually notice it, honestly."

Addison dropped the topic. Instead, she asked, "You know what's the best way to get into a pool?"

Zed shook his head. He grinned questioningly at her. She pulled him back a few steps. "It's called 'cannonball', Zed. We run and jump as high as we can at the edge of the pool and hopefully land in the water."

" _Hopefully_?"

Addison ignored him, grinning widely at the water. "On one."

"Wait—"

She did not wait.


	3. the guy in the pink suit

There were a few things Addison loved about school. Art class was one—forty minutes and change of drawing (or painting or sometimes even ceramics) and time to herself. And since she had made the decision to stay off of cheer (they didn't deserve to have her support after what they had done to Zombies—and Zed), she was now in physical education, which wasn't completely terrible. It was her last period class (the period she would usually use to go to cheer), which meant she wouldn't have to be sweaty all day like other people who had physical education first period.

And, since the incident at the football game a whole 2 weeks before, most zombies had been allowed back to school with the humans. Most meaning everyone but Eliza and Zed (you know, the two main Zombies Addison talked to).

Eliza had two extra days than everyone else for initially hacking the z-band, and Zed was suspended indefinitely for 'endangering himself and the entire population on multiple accounts' (straight from the statement provided by the school board). They were evening holding a hearing for it.

Addison knew that if Zed wasn't the star player, they wouldn't have even considered letting him (or anyone) back. But, as Eliza so helpfully pointed out, the team needed Zed for the games to come. Cause you know, when you win a certain number of games, you move on to Districts and Regionals and then States. And a state championship flag would look great hanging in the gym, alongside the countless flags for cheer.

"You'll do great," Addison said for the sixth time. For some odd reason, Zed was a lot less nervous about the hearing than Addison was—he was a lot less nervous about most things, if she was being honest.

She could hear him sigh through his room door. "Addy, it's nothing serious," he assured her. "Principal Lee said it's mostly about a way to punish me and keep me on football. She's even appealing my case to the school board."

"I could appeal your case!"

Zed laughed through the door. "It's a closed hearing. Trust me, I want you there just as much as you wanna be there. But it's just me, the board, Coach, Principal Lee, and my dad."

His bedroom door swung open and he sauntered out, doing a little spin in his suit (yeah, the same suit from the Homecoming game like two weeks ago). He looked _really_ good, enough to distract Addison (momentarily). She pushed herself to her feet, taking his hands in hers; he tilted his head down to look at her curiously, watching as she sighed slowly. She needed to tell him, to get him to understand why she was so worried and wanted to be there so badly.

"I'm just kinda scared, that's all," she admitted quietly. "What if they keep you in zombie-only school? What if they put you on house arrest? What if...what if I _never_ see you again?"

Zed leaned forward, pressing his lips to her forehead softly. She let her eyes close, leaning into him. It wasn't the first time he'd done this—he did it a lot actually, mostly to distract her or calm her down whenever she was stressed or anxious.

"Addy, no matter what, you aren't getting rid of me. As long as you'll have me, _I'm yours_."

Addison let a small smile slip on her face. In a quiet voice, she sang out, " _There's no need to complicate_."

She felt him smile against her skin. " _Our time is short_."

They sang together softly, " _This is our fate, I'm yours_."

"When have I not managed to impress people, Addy?"

Zed was right. He had managed to win over most of the school and her parents (though not in the best way possible).

She slipped out from underneath his head, standing on her toes and pressing her lips to his cheek. "I believe in you, Zed."

Zed let out a short laugh. "You're so short, Addy."

She punched him lightly in the chest, pouting and grumbling, "You're a bully."

They could hear the front door open and close noisily from upstairs. Both Zed and Addison peered over the stair railing to watch Zed's dad walk in, Zoey skipping in beside him. "Zed! Are you home?" Mr. Necrodopolus called.

Zed leaned over the railing, calling down, "I'm up here, Dad!"

Zed held her hand, leading her down the stairs. Zoey brightened up once Addison came into view, squealing her—and Zed's—names loudly. Zoey was so adorable, running over and jumping in her brothers arms. It was cute enough to make Addison want a little sibling, a cute little six year old boy or girl (or maybe just Zoey).

And, oddly enough, Zoey wasn't wearing the zombie coveralls all the Zombies were required to wear on a daily basis (minus Zed, since he was presently wearing his nice suit). Instead she was wearing the uniform from Saint Mary Academy, the catholic school in Shoreside.

Addison thought Zoey was still enrolled at the zombie elementary school. Or she assumed, more precisely. She had no idea Zoey went to school in the next town (though getting to Shoreside was practically a walk), or a private school, or a religious school. She would have to remember to ask about it, preferably after Zed and Mr. Necrodopolus left.

Zoey went to work on fixing Zed's tie. "Good afternoon, Zed," Zoey greeted in a mock professional voice.

"Why hello, Zoey," he responded.

Zoey turned to look at Addison, a very serious expression on her face. "And good afternoon, Addison."

Addison grinned, pinching her cheek lightly. "Hey Zoey. What're you doing?"

"I have to make Zed look professional," Zoey explained.

Mr. Necrodopolus added, "He can't tie a tie for his life, Addison."

Zed groaned and blushed, Zoey giggled, and Addison just smiled politely.

"We should go," Zed stated.

Mr. Necrodopolus nodded in agreement. "We definitely don't want to be late," he added.

Zed passed his sister over to Addison, kissing Zoey on the cheek then Addison. "Bye guys," Zed called, walking to the door.

Mr. Necrodopolus ruffled his daughter's hair before moving to follow Zed. "Have fun with Addison, Sweetie," he said. He turned to Addison, saying, "Hopefully we're back before dinner, but there's some money for food by the refrigerator."

Addison nodded along. "Thank you for doing this, really," he said, thanking her again.

"It's no problem, Mr. Necrodopolus. I seriously don't mind."

"Are you sure? I think Eliza or Bonzo might be able to fill in if you wanna go home."

"Dad," Zed groaned from the doorway. The three of them glanced at Zed, gesturing at his wrist—oddly the wrist with the z-band. "We're gonna be late."

Mr. Necrodopolus rushed through other details that Addison was only half listening to before leaving with Zed.

Babysitting Zoey was awesome. Addison had babysat before—mostly to get her service hours for school and mostly to polite and proper (and brainwashed) Seabrook kids—but was expecting Zoey to be a little more of a handful (like hanging out with Zed, a fifteen year old who often choked on water).

Zoey was a delight. She did her homework somewhat quietly (she hummed a little but she hummed while she did everything). They walked around the neighborhood for a half hour. They made brownies and cookies and brownies _with_ cookies in them. And when it got a little later, they ordered a pizza (though they had to pick it up at the barrier cause the pizza guy refused to enter Zombietown).

The sun was setting when Zed and Mr. Necrodopolus returned, interrupting the girls' viewing of _Tangled_ , which, in Zoey's words, was 'only the best movie ever made'. She had even mentioned that Addison was a lot like Rapunzel—kindhearted and sweet and brave and spirited and more words that made Addison blush.

Addison knew they were home when Zoey tapped her and told her that they were home (a full minute before the keys could be heard in the door).

Mr. Necrodopolus had walked in and exclaimed, "I smell pizza!" with Zed close behind, shaking his head at his dad.

Zed leaned over the back of the couch, kissing each of their cheeks. "How are my two favorite girls tonight?"

"Shut up, this is the best part," Zoey quieted her brother.

From the kitchen, Mr. Necrodopolus called around a mouthful of pizza, "Ah ah ah, we don't say that in this house Zoey."

Addison smiled slightly at the little polite-parenting tactic. Her parents had never done that. Then again, everyone was expected to be these carbon copies of perfection.

Zed gave his sister a smug look. "Sorry Daddy," Zoey called back. She made a face at her brother, adding, "Sorry Zed."

"Apology accep—"

Addison barely turned, covering Zed's mouth with her hand. "I love this scene, hush."

Zoey chuckled lightly; Zed narrowed his eyes at his sister. "You've seen this six times, Zoe Zoe."

"Come on," Zoey whined. "Who's a good boy?"

Zed pouted (adorably, Addison noticed) letting out an adorable bark. It was cute, really. Zoey ruffled her brother's hair affectionately.

Addison's phone chimed (for the sixth time in the hour) from the coffee table. The pair of siblings glanced at her curiously (their expressions were adorably similar). "Who texted?" Zed asked.

Addison leaned over, picking up her phone and opening the message. "My dad," she stated. "He's been texting me for like, an hour. He wants me home soon."

She didn't say what the messages said, like how he didn't want her out in Zombietown after dark, in another teenage boy's house. And it was a long walk between her house and Zed's. He had even suggested going to pick her up, which she had shut down immediately.

Zed stood at the same time as Addison. "I'll walk you home."

Addison was ready to turn him down, but it was clear from his expression that he wanted to talk to her (hopefully about the hearing and the results). She nodded, walking around the couch and grabbing her bag. "Where'd your dad go?" she asked.

Zed shrugged. "Shower, maybe. Outside, maybe. Dunno. Come on."

"Bye Zoey."

Zoey turned, a sweet smile on her face. "Bye Addison. Thank you!"

Zed reached out, gingerly taking Addison's hand in his own and leading her slowly to the door. "Don't open the door for anyone, Zoey," Zed warned. "And don't go outside without Dad."

"I know," she replied boredly.

The two teenagers were almost out the door when Zed turned back to call, "If you smell smoke, stop, drop, and roll."

Addison glanced back to see Zoey throw something at the door, pushing it shut. Zed shrugged guiltily, leading Addison down the steps in a rush.

"So—"

Without turning to look at her, Zed sighed, saying, "It was terrible, Addison." He rubbed a hand over his face, shaking his head. "Both your parents were there—"

"My parents?"

Zed nodded. "And they overkilled the Z-Patrol. It was embarrassing, Addison. Every time I moved they all acted like I lunged at the superintendent. Every time I said anything they looked like they just wanted to sentence me 65 to life and be done with it. The only reason they actually listened to me was cause your mom vouched for me."

Addison thought she heard wrong. It was obviously wrong. "My mom did what?"

Zed nodded along. "I didn't even think your mother liked me—"

"I didn't know my mom liked you," Addison muttered.

"Right!" Zed exclaimed. "Oh! And she didn't even mention the whole 'turning myself into a human'. She also said that she couldn't put her opinion in on the final decision since you and me are involved in a romantic relationship and it's a 'conflict of interest' or something. Boring business stuff."

"And what did they decide?"

Zed smirked at her. "I guess you'll find if you see me in school tomorrow."

"Zed!" she exclaimed, punching his shoulder playfully. Zed chuckled lightly, slinging his arm over her shoulder.

"You're seriously not gonna tell me?" Addison asked.

Zed twitched violently, squeezing her shoulder tightly and muttering "Zie."

Addison glanced at him, catching a glimpse of his dark and swollen veins fading away. ' _Did he just go all rogue zombie? Did his Z-band just glitch or something?_ '

"Zed?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

Zed nodded quickly, pressing a kiss to her temple. "I'm fine, I'm fine," he said.

"Are you sure?" Addison asked. Last time this happened, he and Eliza and Bonzo had gone all monster on the entire school.

"Mhm," he hummed. "Don't make that face, where you're all worried and concerned. It's cute and all, but there's nothing to worry about."

Addison held up her pinky. "Pinky promise?"

Zed giggled lightly, wrapping his pinky around hers. "Pinky promise," he agreed.

Addison's grin was short lived, falling off her face after Zed said, "And no, I will not tell you."

Addison pouted playfully. "You're a big meanie, Zed."

Zed chuckled again. "You love me, Addy. I give you massages and kisses and take you out on dates."

"I have received no actual kisses from you," she pointed out stubbornly.

Zed let out a little puff of breath, like he had been regretting this coming up in conversation. "Uh, if you wanna know," he started awkwardly. "I just—if it's up to me at least—I just wanna kiss you at the right time. Perfect, even."

"Like the Zombie Light Garden."

Zed was quiet for a minute, most likely remembering just how close they came to that first kiss. And the interruption, and the stupid curfew. The same curfew he was chancing, walking Addison home this close to sundown.

Instead of confirming or denying her, he changed the topic (or it was more like he went back to the first topic). Addison didn't mind, especially since it was something she had asked him a while ago. "Um, they said I can go back to classes on Monday," Zed said.

Addison glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "It's Tuesday, Zed. You're gonna be in Zombie-Only school for the rest of the week?"

Zed shook his head quickly and furiously. "God no, that place is terrible."

"But you said—"

"I said that I can't go to classes until Monday. I didn't _technically_ break any laws or school rules. But they felt that just letting me off without any consequences would be ineffective, so I've got in-school suspension for the rest of the week."

It sounded like a pretty terrible punishment. Being locked in a classroom for eight hours alone with Mr. Radstraw—the most monotone, boring teacher in Seabrook High—with nothing to do except school work and read old books from the library. The only time they were allowed out was for lunch (food is kinda required) and study hall (to get more work).

But she could see Zed before and after school more easily, and in lunch and even in study hall. And, beside the fact that Seabrook needed to learn proper ways to treat _all_ its citizens with the justice they deserved, she wanted Zed back in school to get a chance to spend more time with him.

Of course, Addison didn't want him to know that."And what about football?" she asked, to seem like she showed interest in other things other than their time together. Don't get her wrong, she was proud of him and his football career (even though most of it wasn't necessarily him) and she wanted him to do things that made him happy. But she didn't like watching him playing and getting tackled and hurt.

Zed shrugged, moving around to stand next to her again. "As long as I keep grades and conduct, I can play."

Addison nodded, tucking her head in his side to hide her grin. "So all good news then?"

Zed nodded in agreement. "Oh, get this." Zed tilted his head down, saying quietly (but full of excitement), "Your mom said that, if all goes well and she gets re-elected in November, that me and Eliza and some other zombies are welcome to join her in the revision of 'The BROCA-S68 Gene Mutation Clauses'."

Addison blinked slowly. She'd heard her mom talk about laws and clauses and other mayoral business, but she'd never heard of that. "The what?"

Zed let out a short laugh. "It's the section in the Seabrook laws pertaining to the care and treatment of zombies," he explained.

"The Zombie laws?"

Zed nodded again. "Yeah, the Zombie laws. I'm not supposed to tell anyone about this, since it was a private chat between your parents and me, but they're looking to revise them, bring them up to date. But in order for there to be any type of change, she'd have to get re-elected."

"That's...that's oddly awesome," she beamed. Call her selfish, but the first thing she thought of was how much more time she'd get with Zed without a curfew—or maybe a later curfew. Either way, there would be more time and they wouldn't have to plan to do everything between six o'clock (after football practice ended) and sundown (which was usually around seven or eight but would move up once daylight savings time ended in November).

When the pair was walking up the driveway, Addison's Mom had come and opened the door (before they even had reached it).

Addison had only been this completely happy the morning of her first day of school. When she'd gotten home and said her goodbyes to Zed, she found both her parents silently invested in dinner. They both looked at their daughter curiously, while she went over and gave them each a hug. "Hey parentals," she greeted cheerily.

Her parents exchanged wary looks. "Hi Sweetie," her mom said. "Is everything all right?"

"Today was great." Addison grinned. "I ate already so don't worry about it. And Zoey was a little angel. She deserves to get a dog."

"Zoey?" her mom questioned.

"Zed's little sister," Addison explained. "She's literally the best."

Her dad seemed to snap out of his confusion, tilting his head at his daughter. "Why haven't you answered your phone, Addy?"

"Sorry guys," she apologized. "I left my phone in Zed's room most of the afternoon and—"

Her dad interrupted her, "You were in Zed's room?"

Addison nodded along. "For like a minute, don't worry. I was just telling him about what he's been missing in school before he kicked me out to get changed."

That proved to be a good enough answer for her parents. "How is Zed?" her mom asked.

Addison's grin widened. "He's awesome."

"Did he walk you home?" her dad asked.

She nodded. "He would've come in but it's almost curfew, and it's a school night."

Addison leaned down again, wrapping her arms around her mom's shoulder again. "I heard about the hearing. That was pretty awesome what you did, Mom."

Her parents let out sighs of relief. "So that's what this is about," her dad said. "That makes me feel better."

Addison raised a curious eyebrow at her father, prompting him to continue. "Addy, you're fourteen and you spend hours out with a boy—"

"A teenage boy," her mom interjected.

"A teenage boy whom we do not know—"

Addison frowned at her parents. "You know Zed."

Her dad ignored her, continuing his explanation. "And you come home all giggly and happy—a lot more giggly and happy than you've been recently."

"At least around us," her mom added.

Her parents nodded in agreement (they agreed almost always). "It's questionable behavior." Her dad shrugged, glancing at his wife briefly. "And—" Addison straightened up, a dreadful feeling about where this was leading. "We feel like we may have to give you a...revised sex talk."

Addison shook her head quickly. "Not necessary," she rushed out. The memory of the sex talk was terrible and still fresh in her mind, even though it had happened three years ago (around the time she got her first period). It was terrible, something she didn't want to relive (but couldn't forget).

Her mom turned around in her chair, giving her a pointed look. "Well Addy we're going to have to. And maybe Zed as well."

"I'm going to my room now," Addison stated in a rush. She moved around the table to the staircase, running up to hide her blush.

Her mom called after, "You can't avoid it forever!" Her parents laughed at her expense.


	4. curiosity killed the zombie

Even though they're both coming from the same class, Zed almost always goes to Study Hall alone and meets Addison at their usual table, small and near the back by the encyclopedias. Addison usually goes to meet and walk with Bree to her next class while Zed secures their table or spends a minute in the Hall with Eliza and Bonzo.

However, on a Thursday in mid-October, on his way to his usual table, he had been stopped before he was even sat the first few shelves. Two of Bucky's assistant captains waved him over, the boy one and the blonde one.

The blonde one—either Lacey or Stacey—gave him a perky grin. "Hey Zed, sit."

Zed sat down, mostly because it felt like he didn't have a choice otherwise. It was the first time since the Cheer Championship he'd talked to any of them (not even when they were at Bucky's pool). If Zed were being honest, the Acey's are very intimidating and definitely make him nervous.

"So, how's it going?" the boy Acey (Tracey) asked.

"How's what going?"

Tracey shrugged. "I dunno, what's life like I'm Zed-land?"

Zed furrowed his brows at them. "What?"

One look at Lacey confirmed she was definitely forcing her smile. "You know, how's life?"

"Good."

"How're things with Addison?" Tracey asked. "Have you guys kissed yet?"

Zed shook his head. "Things are fine with Addison."

The two cheerleaders leaned in. "Do you know why she won't come back to cheer?"

Zed squinted at the pair. He was pretty sure they both had been there when "You guys kicked her off the team."

They both looked at each other before turning back to Zed. "We asked her to come back," Tracey stated.

"We as in us and Stacey," Lacey added. "Bucky can't get his head out of his ass long enough to admit he was wrong."

Zed nodded in understanding. From what he knew about the cheer captain, he was very prideful and very, _very_ opinionated. He never seemed to let anything stop him from proving he was right.

"Anyway we asked Addison to come back, seeing as she was one of the best freshmen we've gotten in a long time," Lacey said. "And she told us no."

Lacey pouted, Tracey leaning over and patting her back softly. "She gave us a lot of attitude too. She spends way to much time around your hot-Zombie friend, the one with the attitude and the pretty curls."

"Eliza," Zed clarified.

Lacey looked up, giving him a curious look. "How is Eliza?"

Zed shrugged. The conversation was too jumpy to follow. "No idea. She's a wild card." he said simply, hoping to get to whatever point for why he had been called over.

Lacey leaned forward, asking, "She seeing anyone?"

Zed wasn't sure if she was asking for herself or asking out of general curiosity. "Eliza's not a fan of me speaking on her behalf, so you'll have to ask her."

"She's too pretty to be single," Tracey noted.

Zed squinted at them. "Did you call me over here to talk about Eliza's relationship status?"

The Aceys shook their heads in sync. "Your little sister—" Tracey started.

"Zoey," Lacey chimed.

Tracey nodded in agreement. "She's really talented. Like, she's got a lot of natural talent."

That made a lot of sense. A lot more sense than Eliza's relationship status. "How old is little Zoey?" Lacey asked.

"Six."

"You know the cheer camp we run takes kids as young as six," Tracey suggested.

Zed shook his head. He glanced up at the clock above the door; the bell would ring in another minute (finally). "I'm not forcing my baby sister to do cheer camp and make her miserable or hate cheerleading or anything." He didn't say that 'anything' meant 'end up like them', displaying falls perkiness and being all nasty.

Addison walked into the library just as the bell rang. She stopped for a second to look around, catching Zed's eyes over the Aceys head and immediately raising her brows at the sight. Zed simply shrugged, both ending his statement and at Addison, who had begun to slowly make her way over to them.

"At least talk to her about it," Tracey suggested. "We'll print out a form just in case."

"And if it helps," Lacey added, "Addison applied to be a coach for the summer."

Addison, who had been standing behind the two Aceys for a minute or two, took this moment to make her presence known. "I wasn't the same person I am now a month ago," she said, making the two cheerleaders whip around (almost hard enough to get whiplash).

It was true, what she had said. A month ago had been around the same time she'd been blackmailed into avoid Zed. Her cousin had been using his knowledge of her biggest and only secret to get her to do whatever he needed done. But ever since the Homecoming Game, Addison had been living a lot more freely. She was exploring her personality. Just that day, she was wearing a royal blue sweater (it was getting starting to get cold). She was wearing her real, white hair out proudly with her usual bangs.

Tracey raised a questioning, panicked brow at the former cheerleader. "You aren't doing cheer camp anymore? Just because—"

Addison cut him off before he could continue, saying, "Jury's still out." She nodded once before moving on, heading to the back of the library.

Zed glanced back at her, waiting until she disappeared behind the bookshelves before turning back to the Aceys. "I should probably…"

Lacey sighed slowly. "Yeah, do that."

Zed stood up, swinging his bag over his shoulder. "Are you gonna ask Zoey about the cheer champ?" Tracey asked.

Zed nodded, even though he knew he'd forget. He then makes his way to his usual table, sliding into his chair beside Addison. She gave him an idle nod, her attention focused on her open laptop. Her biology notebook sat beside the computer, already opened to the notes for the day. It was like she knew already that Zed was going to ask for them, like he did almost everyday. Plus, Addison's notes were easier to understand than the lecture or powerpoint, color coded and with little pictures.

They didn't spend study hall talking on most days. They usually just sat together, doing homework or watching movies. It was their own version of quality time together. They only had three classes together, all of which were at the end of the day and one that barely counted as a class. And most days after school, Zed had football until a late, barely even giving him time to get home before curfew.

They squeezing out time to spend together had Zed wishing the football team hadn't qualified for Districts. That way he'd get three hours of his day and his Saturday mornings back.

And then he'd immediately take it back, reminding himself that, without football (or more specifically, hacking his Z-band), he wouldn't be where he was: in an actual school library with the most amazing, beautiful person in the world. He and his best friend wouldn't be making a list of all the changes in laws that need to happen to enforce equality in Seabrook. A little bit of bad for a lot of good. It cancels out.

"You're not even writing," Addison pointed out. Zed tilted his head at her, seeing her giving him an amused look. "You took my notes and started writing and now you're just staring into space like the Punnett Square just made you question your existence."

Zed breathed out a laugh, shaking his head lightly. "Just thinking," he explained. "What're you doing? I've never seen you so invested in your laptop?"

"I'm shopping," Addison said happily. "I wanna but as much clothes as I can before my parents realize I have their credit card."

Zed snorted out a laugh. It was very out of character for Addison, but the tone she'd said it in had made it funny. "I was a little curious as to where you got such dark clothes. It's very not-Seabrook."

Addison hummed in acknowledgement. "Do you wanna shop too? I bet you'd look super cute in these guy clothes."

Zed leaned over to look at her screen, watching as she scrolled through the selections. In all his years living just outside of Seabrook, he'd never seen so many colors. Or any colors beside the typical pinks and blue (and neon greens at Seabrook High). Of course, there were the clothes they let the Zombies have, deep purples and and greens and reds.

"Those are cute jeans," Zed pointed out.

"Really?"

Zed nodded, watching as Addison opens the pair before returning his gaze to his unfinished notes. "I hate genetics," he grumbled, more to himself than anything.

Addison gave him a knowing look. "You just hate Dr. Estrega."

"Dr. Estrega hates me!"

Addison laughed at him, her head falling back against her chair. It was pretty loud for inside a quiet library, but still completely adorable and so _Addison._ Zed grinned a little, ducking his head down a little.

When Addison had stopped laughing, she asked him, "Do you have practice next period?"

Zed thought about it for a second. Last period gym was reserved for student athletes, in case they ever had to be dismissed early for games or extra practice. It was mostly filled with cheerleaders, the flag football team and the softball team—the three best teams at the school (two of which were all, coincidentally, all-girls sports because girls are awesome).

"I do not, but I'm pretty sure we're traveling to Rochester on Friday for District Semifinals."

Addison hummed offhandedly, muttering something about a floral dress before stopping. "Rochester on Friday?" Zed nodded in confirmation. "That's nearly an hour away."

"Yeah, we get out during lunch," Zed added.

Addison raised her eyebrows, giving him an amused look. "Cheerleaders get out during fourth period."

Zed laughed a little, shaking his head. There was definitely no way to change how Seabrook felt about their cheerleaders, no matter how many wins any other sport gets.

"Are you gonna go to the game?" Zed asked.

Addison shrugged. She shifted in her seat to face him, realizing that they were actually conversing instead of having off handed talks. "I'm fourteen, so I can't drive. I doubt my parents would take me. And Bucky definitely won't let me go with the cheerleaders."

"You could...come with the football team," Zed suggested.

Addison raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for clarification. "Yeah Johnny Regin is currently on suspension—"

"He is never coming back here," Addison sighed.

Zed nodded in agreement. To most parents in Seabrook, once your child even had detention is was time to reinforce disciple which usually led to boarding school in Utah.

"Without Johnny, we're down our statistician."

A small smile crept on Addison's face as she realiZed what he was suggesting. Zed went on, adding how she already knows a lot about the game from cheering on the sidelines all season, and how the bus ride to away games would be a lot more fun with her there.

"I mean, only if you want to do it," he added at the end. "I wouldn't want to force you to do anything you didn't want to."

Addison grinned at him. "It seems cool, broaden my résumé and such." Addison shrugged lightly. "Plus I'd get to go to all of your games, even the ones hours away."

Zed furrowed his brows. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Addison nodded, scooting her chair closer and leaning against his side. "I'm gonna talk to Coach later," she stated. She then pulled his pencil out of his hand, adding, "Now let's get you to understand genetics."

* * *

Like every morning, Zed made his way to Eliza's house and knocked on her door five times. But instead of walking out and launching into some passionate rant about whatever she'd focus on that day (or week depending on how much she cared), she opened the door a crack and let out a (terrible) fake cough.

"I'm sick," she stated. "Can't go to school."

Zed knew his best friend—it was kinda why they were best friends—and knew she was definitely lying. "You are not sick."

"I am so sick," Eliza argued. To seal the deal, she let out another fake cough. "See, can't go to school."

Zed narrowed his eyes at her. He leaned forward, pushing her door open further. "You're dressed for school, 'Liza. You never get dressed for school when you're sick. Hell, you don't even wake up when you're sick."

"I'm not going to school today, Zed," she stated stubbornly. "You can't make me."

"You have two tests today, Eliza." Zed didn't even know if it were true. When she cursed under her breath, he grinned, knowing he had gotten to her..

Eliza turned back into her house, grabbing her backpack and walking outside. "I hate you, Zombie."

Zed huffed out a laugh, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close. "Tell this Zombie why you tried to fake a sickness to get outta school."

Eliza shrugged simply. Zed poked her in the side, leading the pair down the street to get Bonzo. He went on with, "You love school, Eliza. It's freaky, actually." Eliza let out a laugh, shaking her head at his comment.

"I had a bad weekend," she admitted.

Zed didn't have the heart to point out that it was Tuesday and the weekend had ended days before. That wasn't the supportive best friend, neutrally good character way. "Bad enough to skip school?"

"Mhm." Eliza sniffed, wiping her eyes quickly. It was weird to see her like this. In all the years they'd known each other, he'd never seen her so embarrassed and...vulnerable. He wasn't even sure if he'd ever seen her cry before.

Zed stopped walking before they reached Bonzo's house, moving around in front of Eliza. "Talk to me, 'Liza. What's up with you?" They were both still on the sidewalk, Eliza looking around to see if anyone was looking or listening.

"Promise you won't get mad?"

Zed scoffed at that. It was like the nine (or ten) years of friendship meant nothing. "Nothing you ever tell me will make me mad." He paused to think it over, adding, "Unless you, like, killed my sister or something. I think I'd be a little mad then." Eliza cracked a grin.

Eliza glanced down at the ground and mumbled something that sounded like 'I pissed lacing' which didn't even make sense. "One more time?" Zed asked cheekily.

Eliza glared at him, rushing out, "I kissed Lacey."

Zed blinked at her. "You…"

"And I slept with her," she admitted. "Twice. Okay maybe more than twice. Like six times."

"You...you slept with Lacey?" Zed asked in confusion. Eliza nodded, rubbing her arm nervously. "Cheerleader Lacey?" She nodded again.

"Wow." He let out a breath, running a hand through his hai. "I...I didn't even know you were into girls—or anyone for that matter," he admitted. "Hell, I thought you were ace or something."

"Neither did I!" she exclaimed. "We were working on our project one minute and then the next her lips were on mine and then we were in her bed and it all escalated so fast! And yesterday she wasn't in class so it was bad but I have a feeling she'll be there and we'll have to talk about it and I don't know what to do because all this relationship stuff is really hard and I don't know if it even meant anything to her and it's all just too much."

Without much thought, Zed exclaimed "It clearly meant something! You did it six times!"

"I dunno!" she countered in exasperation. "Zed help me! I don't know what to do, I don't even know what's going on and I'm losing my fucking mind…" She gave him a helpless look, swiping her cheeks with her hand. It made his heart hurt a little.

"I'll be right back," he told her, running up to Bonzo front porch. Zed knew what he had to do. It would be completely against everything he stood for, but it was for Eliza (his best friend).

Bonzo was sitting on the front steps, sketching in his notebook. He looked up as Zed approached, grinning at him.

"Hey bud," Zed greeted. Bonzo grinned at him, packing his bag and standing up. "Listen, um, me and Eliza aren't gonna go to school today."

"Zo? Nyze?"

"Its Eliza, she's going through some stuff," Zed explained. "I gotta give her the best recovery day ever, and I need you to help us cut school."

Bonzo agreed easily. He was awesome that way, agreeing to help his best friends skip school.

* * *

An hour or so later—after calling the school and pretending to be each other's parents—Zed and Eliza were walking around the back way of a picture-perfect Seabrook house. They probably weren't allowed to be there, considering the fact that neither of them owned or lived in the house. But it was fine, considering Zed knew exactly where the spare key was hidden.

"Are you sure we can be here? I don't even think anyone is home, Zed."

"Oh no one _is_ home," Zed confirmed. "But Missy and Dale said I was allowed over any time and even told me where the spare key is hidden so it's not a problem."

"Plus, we're just gonna take their ice cream and be on our way," Zed added. "I don't know if you know it, but ice cream is delicious."

Zed stretched up, sticking his hand in the cute little birdhouse in the tree and pulling out the spare set of house keys. They went back around front, going inside and grabbing as much half-gallons of ice cream as they could carry, then made their way back to Zombietown. They hid themselves away in the old, abandoned, Seabrook Power Plant.

The ice cream wasn't completely liquid when they got comfortable, just soft enough to easily slip a spoon into. Eliza was a little skeptical of, well the whole thing. "Why are we eating ice cream? In here of all places?"

Zed shrugged. It would take a while to explain it all—how Addison had told him that she had heard in the cheer lounge how ice cream was a big comfort snack for literally any emotional or physical pain (particularly romantic).

"Ice cream is good," he said around a mouthful of cookie dough.

It proved a good enough answer for Eliza. "Now tell me everything," Zed demanded. "I want full details, cause there's no way you went from working on a history project to...to in bed with cheerleader Lacey. You hate cheerleaders, 'Liza. I can vividly recall you saying" he dramatically cleared throat before saying in his worst impression of her voice, "'humans are bad, but cheerleaders are monster'."

Eliza flicked a spoonful of Rocky Road at him. "I know I hate cheerleaders," she argued. "And I really don't wanna talk about it." After a second, she added, "Not now, a least."

"You sure?" Eliza nodded, licking another spoonful of her ice cream. "You wanna sit quietly and think about life? Or you want me to talk? 'Cause I can do that to keep you distracted."

Zed talked about everything brought to mind—from his relationship with Addison to his most recent football practice and the online shopping he'd done with Addison, to Zoey's stories about private school and school outside of Seabrook. It didn't matter to him if she was actually paying attention or commenting.

He talked mindlessly until they ran out of ice cream, finally stopping and looking at Eliza expectantly.

"Your turn," Zed stated. "'Cause I don't understand how, in three days, you went from being completely against cheerleaders to in bed with one."

Eliza frowned, turning to face away from Zed. "On Friday we were working, researching the Greek gods for the project. I don't even know why or anything, but she just kissed me, out of nowhere. And...and I think I kissed her back. I dunno, I got outta there really fast after that. I got all embarrassed and went home because it felt kinda awkward and I kinda didn't want to face her again.

"But you went back on Saturday," Zed reminded her.

Eliza nodded. "I had to finish the project, Zed." she stated as a way of explanation. "And anyway, it was as if nothing had changed. We worked at her house, in her kitchen. Her mom was there—she showed me all these cool things I could do on my laptop and with my z-band that were perfectly legal. She works in Zombie Containment, with the people who design and make sure our Z-bands are fully functional."

Zed nodded along, motioning for her to continue and go faster. "And then her mom had to go run errands. Not five minutes later she—we were kissing again. And then she had me on her kitchen counter and—"

"Woah woah woah," Zed stopped her. "I don't want the details of your...your _sex_." Zed cringed at saying it aloud. There were very few things that made him uncomfortable and awkward that he just couldn't hide under his optimistic confidence—people showing romantic interest in him, having one-on-one conversations with teachers, being called on in class when he _definitely_ wasn't paying attention to name a few. Talking about sex was high up on that list.

"Relax, I know how you are. You get all weird whenever your own girlfriend gives you a hug."

"I do not get all weird!" (He definitely gets all weird).

Eliza shook her head, knowing he was lying. "And then her older brother came home and we worked some more. Her brother bought us burgers." Eliza paused, closing her eyes and shivering. "It was fucking delicious, Zed. I _moaned_ , it was so good. I love burgers, it's been decided."

"I'd bet," Zed commented lightly.

"And then Lacey drove me home, like ten minutes before sundown. And then she fucked me in her car. It was kinda terrifying how amazing it really was."

Zed cringed into himself. "God Eliza, stop," Zed groaned. "That's kinda disgusting."

Eliza chuckled lightly, falling back against the concrete. "We did it four more times on Sunday. Four, Zed. Twice in her room, once in her living room, and again in her car."

Zed's not hearing a silent 'but', which is weird. If there were no downside, then why was he in an abandoned building comforting her?

"Was...was it _not_ good? Or like, not as good? Is that why you didn't want to go to school?"

Eliza shook her head. "It was good. It was amazing, Zed." Eliza sighed blissfully. It was kind of scary, how much emotion she had been showing in one day—in one morning, really. "I didn't even know I was into people, or girls, or Lacey, of all people. And, like, I didn't really want to confront it, today. Like I don't want to see her, have to talk about it."

"You're gonna have to talk about it eventually," Zed pointed out. "You can't just drop outta high school. We're freshmen, 'Liza."

Eliza scoffed at him. "Relax, I plan on going to school tomorrow. And avoiding Lacey until she graduates."

"Lacey's a sophomore," Zed pointed out.

Eliza rolled over, punching Zed lightly in the leg. Zed laughed lightly, pushing her shoulder and letting her roll over. "If it's any consolation, she asked me about you yesterday."

"Pfft, whatever. Who cares?" she said boredly. Zed raised his eyebrows at that; Eliza had gone from crying from emotional instability to a nonchalant 'who cares?'.

A second later, Eliza sat up, looking at him with wide eyes. "You've definitely gotta tell me everything you all said. Leave out no detail, or I'll have your head on a spear plastered on my mantel."

Zed laughed; that sounded more like his best friend.

* * *

Later that day, after Zed and Eliza had migrated from the old PowerPlant to an old storage space, Zed's Z-band—which acts as a sort of cell phone fit with WiFi and texting capabilities—vibrates with a message from Addison.

 _Guess who's keeping stats for the Mighty Shrimp!_

 _Wanted to tell you in person but you're not here_

.

 _That's great Addy!_

 _I'll, be there tomorrow, don't fret! ;)_


	5. singing in the shower

Addison didn't learn much about football until she'd first joined the cheer squad and the football team had started to win. It wasn't very hard to learn, and her new job as statistician wasn't as hard as it would seem. Her and a junior in her art class—Taylor Grant—worked on stats.

Originally, Addison had been taking stats for offense. After a day of practice, Taylor had switched their jobs, saying that Addison was 'too distracted with her boyfriend to take proper note'. The whole thing had made Addison blush, stuttering how they were actually 'boyfriend-girlfriend' and hadn't technically labeled what they had. Taylor had just laughed at her embarrassment. "You're adorable when you blush, Addison," he'd said.

Friday's game against Charles A. Dana High School has gone surprisingly well, seeing as they had been down three linebackers. Zed had ended up playing practically the whole game, falling in with the top five numbers of tackles and interceptions in a game. He didn't even play defense as much as the others, which was the amazing part.

For the first part of the drive back to Seabrook, Addison and Taylor had been going through the game footage, cross checking their numbers with the film. It was boring and long, and Addison wished they could've done it during school or at practice the next day (she was just rewatching the same game she'd just seen).

With such a small team, everyone typically sat with a whole seat to themselves (in cheer they usually had to sit with someone). In order to check the stats, though, Addison had to sit and share headphones with Taylor. It would've been okay, if it wasn't one of the hottest days in October on record. The usually air-conditioned bus was like an oven; the bus's air had broken while they were at Dana High, just enough that the bus driver hadn't realized it, refusing to let them roll the windows down.

They had been watching for a good ten minutes when Taylor had paused the video. "You seem bored," he noted.

'I am bored.' Addison simply shrugged in response. She didn't want to be rude and actually say it. Especially considering the fact that Taylor had suspected Addison had asked for the job to spend more time with Zed. And sure, it was true, but she didn't want him to know that.

"You can go to your boyfriend, if you want," Taylor suggested. "We can finish tomorrow."

Addison raised an eyebrow. "No, I'm completely focused on this, Taylor."

"I insist," Taylor nudged her shoulder, pushing her in the direction of the aisle. "Go congratulate him on his five touchdowns or something. Give him kisses, he's a cutie."

Addison let out a short laugh. "Stop hitting on my guy, Tay."

Taylor chuckled, pushing Addison a little off the seat. If they weren't in standstill traffic on the highway, Addison wouldn't have made her way from the very front to where Zed sat, several rows back.

When Addison sat down again beside him, she was completely surprised to see him looking like he did; all of his exposed skin was bright and flushed, like he were an overheated human. His veins were showing through his skin though, darker than the normal but not dark enough to say his Z-band wasn't working.

"Zed?" Addison asked.

The zombie rolled his head, giving her a slight glare. "What?" he greeted, his voice strained and slurred. It was so off brand for Zed, a contrast to his charming smile and almost always happy persona.

"Are you okay?" Addison asked, her tone full of concern. Zed looked and sounded terrible, which was a complete contrast to when they were at the game. He didn't look in perfect health, but he looked like he had just played a football game—sweaty and out of breath—but still grinning and cracking jokes. "You look terrible."

She can vaguely remember a time she'd said something similar, and he'd given her a witty reply, like usual. This time, he just grunted in reply, closing his eyes tightly. Addison leaned closer, pressing the back of her hand to his forehead, which he immediately flinched away from. "Oh my god, you're burning up!" His forehead was both hot and cold all at once and disgustingly clammy.

Zed glanced up at her, saying in a deep, grovel-like voice somewhere between actual Zed and full-zombie Zed "Goraco." He squeezed his eyes shut briefly, muttering, "Sorry, it's hot."

He was fidgeting and twisting his Z-band, trying to wedge his finger in the tight space between his wrist and the band. "What're you doing!" Addison asked incredulously, pulling his hand away from the band.

Addison could remember a week at cheer camp a few years before. She had gone to one down in New Mexico, and the first week was a safety seminar. The signs of a heat exhaustion came to mind—clammy skin (or heavy sweating), weakness (or tiredness), headache, rapid and weak pulses.

Of course, with his flushed skin and confusion she was leaning more toward a heatstroke. 'Zed's a Zombie, he probably doesn't have the same symptoms as a human would get,' she told herself quickly.

Zed slumped back against his chair, giving her a pained look. "I don't feel good, Addy."

Addison stood up quickly, dragging Zed up beside her; she wrapped his arm around her shoulder for extra support, moving out of the seat. "Coach!" Addison called in urgency, drawing the attention of pretty much the entire bus. "I believe Zed is in need of some emergency attention."

She began leading Zed toward the back of the bus, where they had stored the two water coolers. She kicked a few legs as she made her way through the narrow aisle, saying, "Make a hole!"

"Gagan," Zed grunted, barely loud enough for her to hear. He cleared his throat before adding, "Walk, I mean. I can… I can walk, Addy."

His sentiment was useless, considering in the time it took him to say it they had reached the back of the bus. Coach opened the emergency exit door; hot air filled the area, though it was still cooler than sitting in the bus with no air circulation.

Together, Addison and Coach helped Zed to sit on the edge, Coach beginning to examine Zed. Addison turned back to the rest of team as they still looked on. She pointed at the two closest to where she was, telling them, "Take this cooler outside, please."

Addison crouched behind Zed, leaning over his shoulder and pulling on his coverall top. "You gotta take this off, Zed," she instructed.

"Huh?"

"You need to take off all your unnecessary clothes," she told him. "You're overheating, you'll—stop pulling on your Z-band!"

Zed grunted, letting Addison pull off the coverall as well as his tee shirt. Addison refused to look at the front of his torso-it made her ache seeing the mass of throbbing veins spiraling all over, especially considering how completely painful it looked. It didn't help that he looked like he was turning more zombie with every passing second.

Addison held onto the tee shirt, tossing the coverall piece to the guys who had brought the water out. "Soak it in water," Coach instructed them. Then, to Addison, he asked, "Do you know what's wrong? I can't tell considering I can barely understand what happens with actual humans."

Addison passed Zed an ice-cold water bottle. "Heat related illness," she responded. "Heatstroke or heat exhaustion. Considering I'm only trained for humans, I can't say which exactly. He's way too hot, though. He's got a massive fever, and I'm pretty sure Zombies' core body temperature is a lot less than a human."

Coach passed the soaked coverall to Addison, watching her curiously as she wrung the water over his head. Once she'd rung it to its full extent, she slung the cold and damp cloth around his neck. "Don't move it," she told him sternly.

Zed nodded in acknowledgment. "S' 49.2, by the way," he said, his voice raspy.

Addison and Coach exchanged worried looks over his head. On a normal, or human scale, Zed had a dangerously high fever. But now knowing that the average body temperature was half that of a human made Addison worry.

"Lay down, Zed," she told him. "I'm gonna dunk your shirt in the water, keep it on your forehead and keep drinking water."

Everyone on the bus had made their way closer while still keeping their distance. Addison wasn't quite sure if they'd ever dealt with something like this before—it was likely, considering how much clothing and gear they wear in the sun while doing strenuous exercise.

In the next forty minutes they spent barely moving, Zed got progressively better. He got paler as the time passed, his veins faded away, and he was actually conversing and cracking jokes. He was still significantly warm, but her and Coach had let him go back in his seat, just around the same time traffic had let up enough that they were more than crawling. Zed was just wearing his home jersey—the jersey he hasn't played in since it was an away game—considering Zed's two shirts were still being used to keep him cool.

When they got back to Seabrook it was late, the sky extremely dark. Addison had gotten off first, with Taylor, to put their gear and supplies away. While they were in the storage closet, Taylor had said, "You know what you did back there—taking charge and shit—it was pretty awesome."

Addison shrugged, giving him a small smile. "I did what I had to," she stated simply.

"Well I know that if it were my boyfriend, I would be terrified," Taylor went on. "Hell, my hands would be shaking so hard, I'm a nervous wreck in high pressure situations."

"It was scary," she admitted. "I was a little afraid what I was doing was wrong." Now that the initial adrenaline had faded, and she was actually thinking about what had happened, Addison felt a sense of complete overwhelm, hundreds of what-if scenarios running through her head.

Taylor raised an eyebrow, urging her to go on. Addison let out a sigh, leaning back against the wall. "It's scary, seeing someone you love going through something like that," she said in a quiet voice. "Zed, he's my best friend. I…" Addison hadn't realized she was crying, taking a shaky breath and wiping her cheeks. She closed her eyes, leaning her head back. "I hate feeling like I'll lose him."

"Oh, Addison," he whispered, moving forehead and wrapping her in a hug. Addison sniffed, hiding her face in his tee shirt. It wasn't like hugging Zed, starting with the fact that Zed was like a foot taller than her and Taylor only had a couple of inches; hugging Zed was like coming home. This hug, it was more for comfort and support, but it wasn't like Zed's hugs.

"I don't want to lose him again," she mumbled, barely above a whisper.

"Hey, it's okay," Taylor said in a soothing tone, rubbing her back gently. Addison let out a helpless whimper, feeling another onslaught of tears. "Let it all out, Addison."

Not even a minute later, the door to the closet opened. "Addison?" Zed called. Addison's and Taylor both glanced up, watching as Zed stepped inside, his gaze falling on them. His expression hardened; Addison swore she saw his veins darken, but when she blinked again he was normal Zed (though his skin was still red and full of color).

Zed then looked at Addison face, his brows furrowing tightly at the sight of her red and puffy eyes. "Why are you crying?" Zed asked.

Taylor pulled away from Addison, patting her shoulder gently. "Talk to him," he told her quietly. He then stepped around the zombie, heading to the door. "See you guys on Monday. Feel better, Zed."

"Mhm," Zed hummed, his eyes not leaving Addison's face.

Addison waited for the door to close before asking Zed, "How are you feeling?"

Zed ignored her question, instead asking, "Why are you crying?"

Addison rubbed her arm shyly, looking down at the ground. "I'm a little overwhelmed."

Zed scoffed. "A little? I'm guessing you were so overwhelmed you just couldn't help but latch onto Taylor."

"You look red still," she pointed out. "What if you had a heatstroke?" Addison gasped, looking up at Zed with wide eyes. "Oh my god Zed what if you're having a heatstroke?" Addison covered her face with her hands, pressing the heels of her palms in her eyes. She would not cry again, she definitely wouldn't cry again—even though she already was, so much she could barely see out of her eyes.

"What? Addison what are you talking about?"

Addison sniffed, rubbing her nose furiously. She gave him a worried look, saying, "You need to go to a hospital. Oh my god, Zed, you could die."

Zed grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly. "Addy, calm down. You need to take a breath, okay?" She looked up at him, taking several shaky breaths. Zed wiped her cheeks, leaning down to look at her closer. "Look at me, Addy. I'm fine, okay? I'm...I'm not in perfect health, sure, but I'm a lot better. And it's because of you. Things could've gone a lot worse today, if it weren't for you."

"But—"

Zed pressed his lip against hers, effectively shutting her up. He pulled away a second later, his eyes scanning over her face quickly. "I don't want you to worry about me, Addy," he said quietly. "I'm getting better, I promise. I'm feeling better, and I bet with a nice shower and some rest I'll feel good as new."

Addison swallowed thickly. "Mhm," she hummed.

"Please don't cry over me, Addy," he whispered. Addison nodded again, taking in another shaky breath. "And, um, don't hug other guys. Please."

* * *

"I really should go home, Addison."

"You really shouldn't," she countered playfully. Zed sighed, leaning down and letting her press another kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"It's getting late," he reminded her. "My dad's probably worried."

"Then come inside and call him. Tell him your spending the night."

Zed sighed again, pressing his forehead against hers. They'd been standing on her porch, going back and forth for a good ten minutes.

Addison reached up, pressing the back of her hand to his forehead. "You're still dangerously warm, Zed," Addison pointed out. "I need to monitor you all night. Take you to the hospital if you get worse."

"Addison…"

"It's perfectly fine for me to worry about you," she defended. "Of course, I'd worry a lot less if you stopped being so stubborn and come inside."

Zed sighed, letting his eyes close before looking at her again. "Do you really want me to stay?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Addison tilted her chin, pressing her lips against his. "I really do," she murmured against his lips.

Zed let out a soft sigh, kissing her back gently. Addison couldn't stop the shit-eating grin that came to her face, making Zed laugh when he kissed more teeth than lips.

Addison moved back a fraction of an inch, asking, "Why are you laughing?"

In lieu of an answer, Zed said, "Gar garziga," pushing her hair behind her ear and kissing her more earnestly. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him.

It was a sweeter and more passionate kiss than the soft pecks and light kissing they'd done since the storage room at school. The first kiss they'd shared together had been quick and more of a way to shut her up (it was rude but it worked), and all the ones in between were light and practically meaningless. This kiss felt like actual kissing, with true feeling and passion, still gentle and sweet and tender.

Zed's lips were warm and a little moist, which, Addison thinks offhandedly, is from his overheating. It's the first time she noticed that his breaths are slower and farther between than her own. She wrapped her arms around his neck, helping to keep his lips on hers. In the back of her mind, she can feel his Z-band on the back of her waist, vibrating annoyingly and unnecessary hot.

After another minute, they pull apart, leaving their foreheads resting against each other. They're both out of breath but still smiling. "That was nice," Addison said.

Zed gave a soft smile. He made a move to kiss her again, sourly being interrupted by the yelling across the cul-de-sac of Zombie-slurs and hateful comments Addison wouldn't even think someone would say, especially one of her neighbors. The pair pulled apart, leaving a foot of space between them. Zed looks instantly deflated and drained, like he'd just been jumped and beaten and hadn't even fought back because of how completely useless it would be.

"Let's go inside," Addison whispered to him.

Addison unlocked her front door, holding it open for Zed to step inside. Just as she closes the door, she turns back and flips off her neighbor (there's just enough light that she knows that the message was well received). It's not something she'd characteristically do, considering she's lived near the same people her whole life and will live there until she's eighteen.

Addison stepped inside, her and Zed leaving their shoes and bags by the door. She wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him close to her. "Forget them, they don't know you like I do," she told him.

"Someday, right?" Zed said, more to himself than anything. He slung his arm over her shoulder, following her to the kitchen.

Her parents were in there, looking as if they were just starting on dinner. Her mom was in a more casual professional-dress and her dad had shed his suit jacket, meaning they had been home for at least an hour. Neither of them seemed surprised that Zed was there; rather, they looked more surprised that he was only partially wearing the required uniform for Zombies.

Either way, their surprise doesn't stop Missy from asking (in a bored tone), "Done making out on our front porch?"

Addison groaned, tucking her head in Zed's arm to hide her blush. "Were you guys watching us?" she whined.

"Only for five minutes," her mother said, as if it's not a bad thing.

"We heard voices," her dad added. "You know, if you were out there another ten minutes, I'd have won dinner and a movie."

Addison lifted her head, shooting a glare at her parents. She remembered, once when she was eleven and doing her chores, that her parents would pull out a board game and start playing; loser would have to pay for the next date. She hadn't seen them do it in three years, and it warmed her heart that they had started again, with the rules pertaining to her relationship (she's being sarcastic).

As if just noticing Zed's presence, Missy looked the zombie over, her smile falling and being replaced with a look of worry. "Zed honey, what's wrong? You look… sick. Red." 'Alive.'

For the first time since in the kitchen, Zed spoke, saying, "I'm fine."

"You're not fine," Addison argued.

"Addison," he groaned.

Addison ignored him, saying to her parents, "Zed suffered from some heat related illness today and is not fine. In fact, Zed is going upstairs to take a long, cold shower for at least forty minutes."

"Forty?"

Addison ducked out of his hold, moving behind Zed to push him in the direction of the stairs. "I'm taking him to my bathroom," she called as a warning to her parents.

They were halfway up the stairs when Dale called, "Door open!"

* * *

"You know, this is exactly what I expected your room to look like." After a second, he added, "Not that I imagine what your room looks like."

"It's a nice room, really," he went on.

Addison just laughed, leading him toward the connecting bathroom. Her room was still in its constant state of a clean-mess, the level of unorganized that she knew where everything was. She had shoes scattered all over the place, along with old assignments and hidden snack wrappers. Her bed wasn't even made. Zed was just being nice.

"Are all houses in Seabrook like this?" Zed asked. "You know, nice and cute and so…perfect."

Addison shrugged. She flicked on the bathroom light, pausing in front of her large mirror. "Everyone lives in the same type of house as far as I'm concerned. It's a Seabrook thing."

"Ah." Zed stood behind her, giving her a fake-glare through the mirror (she hoped it was fake, at least). "Except Bucky," he noted.

She nodded along, saying "Except Bucky."

Zed stood behind her, resting his chin on top of her head and wrapping his arms around her, caging her in. Addison sighed softly, leaning back against him and looking up at him through the mirror. She could feel the heat radiating off of him and warming her up.

"I'm sorry about early," she said in a quiet voice. "My neighbors are…they're just jerks. They're jerks who just think they know everything 'cause they're old and 'wise' or something."

Zed simply shrugged it off, though Addison could still sense some of his discomfort. "It's not your fault, Addison."

"I just wish there was more I could do," she sighed. "You're beyond awesome. Zombies are...amazing and wonderful and—and I just…I wish everyone could see you like I do."

"Your parents have really warmed up to me," he pointed out. "They were only mildly surprised to see me here."

Addison breathed out a laugh. "My parents like you, Zed. To them, you're still the same guy who brought Mom flowers and bonded over football with Dad, who took me to Homecoming and on an ice cream date."

Zed raised an eyebrow at that. "Really?" he asked unbelievingly.

Addison nodded, then stepped out of his embrace, turning to look him in the eyes. "They loved you when you were human, and they love you when you're a zombie. They're just…hesitant. You know that."

Zed sighed dejectedly, his head drooping and his gaze falling to the ground. "It doesn't meant they don't like you though!" Addison added quickly. "They wouldn't have let you come up to my room, or they wouldn't have joked about the whole 'kissing on the porch' thing if they didn't like you."

Zed simply shrugged, she was right but it still didn't make him feel any better. Addison stood on her toes, pressing a soft, quick kiss to his lips.

After she pulled away, she nudged him toward the counter. "Sit."

"Why?"

"We're gonna measure your temperature now, then again after the shower," she explained. "Which still has to be cold and at least forty minutes. And then, if it rises or it's really bad—no matter what you say—you're going to a hospital."

"Wh-what's your definition of bad?" Zed asked skeptically.

Addison thought about it for a second. If his temperature was supposed to be in the high forties, by average standards it'd be bad if it got to the fifties. But she was pretty sure he was deep in the nineties earlier that day, even close to breaking a hundred. "Um, more than 65?"

"When I hit 90 it's bad," Zed explained. "Bodily functions shouldn't be near the average for humans. And if it's too low, then I'd be too Zombie. So, like, a normal range would be between 30 and 60."

Addison nodded once, then turned, making her way to her medicine cabinet. They both waited patiently until the thermometer pinged a minute later.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise, reading out, "Thirty six point six."

Zed let out a sigh of relief, his body relaxing on the counter. "You had me worried for a second," he admitted.

"That's bad, Zed," Addison explained. "This is in Celsius."

Zed didn't seem fazed by that, just raising a curious eyebrow. "They don't teach us conversions in Zombie school."

"That's almost ninety-eight degrees."

Zed seemed stunned, his eyebrows rising in surprise. After a minute, he muttered, "Oh shit."

Addison had to bite her lip to keep herself from saying 'I told you so'. He definitely deserved it, but it was rude and uncharacteristic, not to mention his temperature was around the same as hers. He was practically human. It was concerning; she wished she'd taken his temperature when he'd first gotten sick, for comparison.

"Maybe an hour in the shower would be better," she said.

Zed nodded along with her. His expression was far away, like he was concentrating hard on something that wasn't there. Just as Addison was about to ask if he was okay, Zed looked at her, asking, "Can you get me my backpack?"

Addison took that time to move both of their bags from the doorway to her room, dropping hers in a corner and bring Zed his. It didn't take him long to pull out some flat disc with an extension cord attached to it. Zed offered it to her. "Can you plug this in? In here?"

Addison nodded once, turning and pushing it into the same outlet she used for her blow dryer. She wasn't using it anyway, it wasn't like she was showering. "What is it, anyway?"

"Charging pad," Zed explained. He stood up from the counter, pulling his jersey over his head. "For my Z-band. I think it's running on low battery, 'cause it usually doesn't let me get to such 'human standards', in a sense."

"Oh." Addison turned back to him, tilting her head curiously at the Zombie. "Do you think that, someday soon, you could teach me about…you know, Zombie-stuff?"

"You care?" Zed's eyes widened almost immediately after he said it. At the hurt look on Addison's face, he quickly added, "That's not what I meant! I didn't—I meant like, you know. You're like, human. People who get paid to care about zombie problems don't even really care."

Addison cracked a sad smile. It made her heart hurt a little, hearing him trying to explain himself. No one ever cared about zombies; they were just a burden to people in Seabrook. Addison had hoped, though, that her own boyfriend would believe she actually cared about.

"Go shower, we'll talk after," she told him.

Zed moved to the shower, toeing off his sneakers and socks as he went. Addison gave him a basic explanation of where everything was and how it worked, then made her way for the door. As Zed was turning the water on, she turned back around, a playfully serious look on her face. "And at least an hour, Necrodopolus," she warned sternly. "I'll be timing you. Any less and I'll personally take care of it."

"Is that a threat or a promise?" Zed called, smirking at her.

Addison glowered at him, chucking an empty shampoo bottle at him. Zed laughed, moving to pull his pants down just as she closed the door.

* * *

Fifty-two minutes into Zed's shower, he starts singing. It's not really noticeable at first. She can barely hear the melody over the running water.

It was actually her mom who noticed it first, pausing in her meal and glancing up at the ceiling. "What's that sound?"

Everyone stops at that, straining to listen to the sound. Addison grinned when she recognized Zed's voice, singing out to an upbeat song she vaguely recognized by Panic! at the Disco. 'He must be feeling better,' she thought.

"It's just Zed," she said with a grin.

Her dad raised an eyebrow at that. "Zed sings?"

Addison nodded, resuming her meal. After a minute, she looked up at her parents, seeing them still straining to hear his voice. She sighed; it wasn't even him trying, but for some reason they were completely invested in the song. Zed went through eight more songs, mostly singing the hooks and choruses and distracting Addison's parents. A lot of the songs were a few years old, except for the few minutes he sang Bamm—it was his song, he could do whatever he wanted, including mocking hers and Eliza's voices.

"He has a nice voice," her mother finally said.

'But terrible music selections,' Addison thought to herself. None of the songs were even released within two years. The only current song he sang was his own song that he wouldn't even release (for personal reasons). She gave her parents a simple grin, sliding out of her chair.

After putting her plate away, Addison checked her stopwatch, reading that it had been an hour and fifteen minutes. She leaned against the counter, wondering to herself, 'Should I tell him it's been an hour?"

Just as she's about to move to the stairs, the water shuts off, making Zed's most recent song clearer. "I know it might be crazy," he sang, his voice soft but somehow still loud enough to be heard from downstairs. "But did you hear the story?"

Addison finds herself singing along with him, quietly and under her breath, "I think I heard it vaguely." And, unlike when he was singing Bamm, he doesn't sing her part, leaving the house silent enough for her parents to hear her singing.

"A girl and a zombie."

This time, she grinned like he was right beside her, singing "Oh tell me more boy, sounds like a fantasy." And, at the same time, they both sang, "Oh what could go so wrong with a girl and a zombie?"

By now, she's sure he can hear her singing along. He gets louder when he sings the next part, purposely making sure she hears him. "You're from the perfect paradise, and I'm living on the darker side."

Addison tilted her head up, shouting out, "Oh I got a feeling if you get to know me."

"Right from the start you caught me eye." Addison looked at the stairs, seeing a ping pong ball bouncing down. She let out a little laugh, jogging over and picking it up. Zed stood at the top of the stairs, dressed in a pair of pajamas pants she'd taken from the basement. "And something inside me came to life."

She threw the small ball back up to him. "Oh I got a feeling if you get to know me."

"Someday—" Zed rushed down the stairs, easily lifting Addison into his arms (bridal style, might she add). "this could be, this could be ordinary. Someday, could we be something extraordinary."

He put her down, letting her stand on the couch so they were about the same height. "You and me side by side, out in the broad daylight."

"If they laugh we'll say—"

"We're gonna be someday." Addison jumped onto his back, laughing as he spun her around the living room. "Someone's feeling better, huh?" she asked with a bright smile.

"I feel completely refreshed and my hair smells like your citrus, girly shampoo," Zed joked. "Look how pale I am! Your shower is a miracle worker, Addy!"

Addison laughed again, leaning forward and pressing kisses against his cheek (and jaw). She moved her hand from around his neck to against his forehead. "You feel a lot colder, too," she noted. "We should take your temperature."

"Why yes of course," Zed chimed. "Is the thermometer upstairs?"

From the table, Addison's mother called, "There's one in the downstairs bathroom."

Addison pointed him in the direction of the bathroom, using the height advantage to grab the thermometer from the top shelf of the medicine cabinet. "How on earth do you ever get this, Shortie?" Zed teased.

"Shut up," she grumbled. She removed the cap, sticking the end in his ear. Zed yelped in surprise, making Addison giggle at his misfortune.

"I liked the one in your room better," he grunted.

Addison patted his hair sympathetically. "Sometimes you don't get to pick what happens to you in life, but you'll end up loving it anyway."

"Are you talking about me?" Zed asked.

Before she could answer, the thermometer beeped. Addison pulled it from his ear, reading the screen and smiling brightly. "Look," she said, moving it around so he could read it.

"Thirty-six point six? Wasn't that bad?"

"This one's in Fahrenheit."

"Oh! That's amazing then!" Zed exclaimed.

Addison dropped the thermometer on the counter just before Zed practically ran out of the bathroom, spinning her around then letting her fall back onto the couch. He stood over her, waiting for her laughter to die down before saying, "I gotta go put on a shirt. But I'm a healed man! It's a miracle!"


	6. you and me (against the world)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: WARNING: There is a brief mention of man slaughter, not much else to it but just thought it's be worth mentioning.**

 **Summary** : _Planning a Zombie Mash is hard work. It's even harder with your girlfriend constant doodling all over the pages._

* * *

 **MONDAY:**

Zed wasn't surprised when he opened his locker and a folded piece of paper fell out. For the first part of the school day, they didn't have any classes together. Leaving notes in each other's lockers had become their only form of communication.

 _I'm planning on crashing cheer practice today. Need to know if I should spread the word. Keep me posted._

 _xoxo Addison_

"Another love letter I see," Eliza noted from beside him.

Zed shook his head at his best friend. "We're just making plans, E," he explained.

Eliza nodded along. "Ah yes, you're plans to throw another Zombie Mash and invite a bunch of humans."

"Zn galab pulta az zargia," Bonzo added. _And cover it up with a party_.

"You guys could say no, and I'll call off the whole thing," Zed reminded them.

Eliza closed her locker, turning to look up at Zed. "I mind less the weird street party and more the humans at _our_ Zombie Mash. The only human I'm _somewhat_ okay with is Addison."

"G Breeska."

"And Bree," Eliza added.

"And your girlfriend," Zed pointed out. Bonzo laughed with Zed at their friend's glare.

"She is not my girlfriend," Eliza stated. At the looks of her friends, she went on to explain, "We were working on a project, that's it."

Zed shook his head, his chuckling dwindling to a smug smile. "Shut up, this isn't what we're talking about!" Eliza exclaimed. "How do you think everyone else would react to your insane idea? Just because we run the party, doesn't mean we can do something that'll make everyone hate us!"

""Zeg er ga," Bonzo said, turning down the hall. _I gotta go._

Eliza and Zed looked after their friend for a second before making their way to the library. "I'll tell you in class," Zed told her. "And I'm hurt you'd think I'd ever make a decision that'd hurt my fellow Zombies."

Eliza gave him a knowing look, not evening bothering to voice her thoughts. "Shut up," Zed grumbled. "And anyway, me and Addy have thought long and hard about this, and I'll tell you all about it _in class._ "

* * *

Everyday, fourth period, Zed and Eliza had 'Independent Study', which was a fancy way of saying they sat in the library for forty minutes (and some change), gathering research on Zombie History through the years.

Zombie History was doing research all over the school library and two days a week of going out and finding other information that the internet and the school library couldn't provide them. It was just the two of them in that class, taking it instead of a foreign language.

They were only required to show proof of work for the week on Fridays. Some weeks, it didn't even take them long to finish their required assignment, giving them a few days of free periods.

"So tell me your full proof plan," Eliza said.

Zed pulled his biology notebook from his bag, opening it to the back pages. The page was filled with Addison's colorful handwriting, written in her different color pens. One side had a rundown of the plans or the day, and the other had a list titled 'Uninvited', where weren't keeping track of all the people who weren't welcome at the Zombie Mash.

Eliza nodded along. "This all seems to make sense," she said. "Why is Lacey on the 'uninvited list'?"

"Because Zombies don't like her." Eliza punched him in the arm violently. Zed groaned, rubbing the sore spot. "If you want her there, just say so. Me and Addison can override these votes, and you know I'd do it for you."

"For the second time, it's 'Addison and _I'_ ," she corrected. "And, if the people don't want Lacey there, then Lacey doesn't come. Why would I care?"

"You kind of like her, E," Zed pointed out. "You're just denying your feelings, and it's kinda annoying."

Eliza frowned, remaining silent as she opened her laptop to their class page. It was so like her to avoid the conversation like that. Whenever it got to something she didn't like, where she'd have to talk about her feelings or admit she were wrong, she'd get quiet or change the topic.

Zed leaned over, blocking her screen so she'd have to pay attention to him. "Eliza, you're my best friend. I'm closer to you than anyone, we tell each other everything."

Eliza grinned slyly. "Like that one time you ate a raccoon carcass."

Zed glared at her fiercely. "We take that to our graves, Eliza," he stated.

Eliza just laughed at him. Zed sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. "The point is, I wouldn't think any differently of you if you were to tell me you liked Lacey."

Eliza hummed, turning her head away from him. "I promise to let you know, as soon as I figure it out."

"That…That works," Zed said, grinning slightly. Eliza nodded, turning her attention back to her computer.

"Now that _that's_ settled, what's our assignment today?"

* * *

 **TUESDAY:**

 _You're free to spread the word. As far as numbers go, everyone's cool with everyone coming, Except Bucky. Make sure they remember not to tell Bucky or adults, otherwise we're screwed._

 _Zed_

 _Maybe we should restrict our numbers too. Like, we can't invite every teenager in Seabrook. Maybe anyone who was in the 'unwanted' list should be restricted or something. For safety reasons, of course._

 _xoxo Addison_

 _Unsafe?_

 _Zed_

 _Safety standards and codes and stuff. Maximum number of occupants. If there's too many people, potentially dangerous environment. Don't want anyone to get hurt or anything._

 _xoxo Addison_

* * *

"Did I ever tell you," Zed started, "that Addison and I kissed?"

Eliza didn't look up from her textbook. Instead, she simply raised an eyebrow at him, prompting him to go on.

"It was Friday, after the game," he explained. "I told you about the heat exhaustion and all that already." She nodded along with him. "So when we got back to campus, she and Taylor went to put the equipment away. And they were in there for a long time, so obviously I went to investigate."

Eliza snorted at that. "You think Addison would cheat on you with Taylor Grant? The gayest person I know?"

"I don't think you can call a genderfluid person gay."

Eliza looked up at him, her expression neutral. "I'm not here to debate linguistics with you."

"I doubt this falls under linguistics."

This time she glared, pointing her pencil threateningly at his neck. "Correct me one more time," she warned.

Zed laughed, nudging her shoulder playfully. "So I went to investigate, and I find her all over Taylor."

Eliza whistled lowly. "I did not think Addison's taste in men was so poor."

"And she's crying and he's coddling her. So after Taylor left—since I'm guessing he sensed how mad he was making me—Addison's started to freak out on me. And she was saying how terrified she was and how I could have died, details details. And I'm like, 'she needs to calm down' 'cause there's literally nothing she can do anymore. So I kissed her."

"Such a romantic," Eliza said sarcastically.

Zed ignored her comment, continuing with, "We kissed a lot more, when I walked her home. We spent a good amount of time kissing, outside her house." He sighed and smiled at the happy memory. "We also defined our relationship, as boyfriend-girlfriend. It's amazing."

Eliza gave him a pleased smile. "I'm very happy for you."

Zed frowned at her. "You're being sarcastic," he said sadly.

Eliza laughed, leaning over and wrapping him in a one-armed hug. "I'm happy, seriously. Baby got his first kiss."

Zed frowned, twisting out of her hold. "It was not my first kiss."

"Right, you kissed Jazlyn Simmeons in the sixth grade at the community pool."

Zed smiled sadly. Jazlyn, his own middle school crush, along with Hazel and a handful of other young zombies had died two years before human high school had started. It was a terrible morning, when a bunch of humans came into Zombietown and just slaughtered as many Zombies as they could before any actual authorities got there.

"Do you think that if Jazlyn were still here, you'd be with her and not Addison?"

Zed shrugged simply. He hadn't thought much of her since the announcement that Zombies would be allowed at human high school. It served as enough of a distraction that he didn't feel a lingering sense of depression. And then he'd met Addison, who'd brought a whole new light into his life.

"I love Addison," he said. "I don't think I spent enough time with Jazlyn to really love her or anything. I know that I definitely will never feel the same about two different people."

Eliza nodded once. "I like Addison. She's peppy, but not overly peppy. And cool. And pretty."

Zed nudged her shoulder playfully, thankful for the lighter topic. "Hey, stop hitting on my girlfriend."

* * *

 **WEDNESDAY** :

 _Eliza says that there's like 80 Zombies and on the signs in the building the max is like 150 so we can push like 200 before there's a safety issue. I'm think mostly kids we know, like the Underclassmen. Some Upperclassmen we may know maybe._

 _Zed_

 ** _(P.S. only cool people -Eliza)_**

"Addison tells me you're hosting a Halloween party."

Zed turned in his seat to look up at the cheerleader now sitting beside him. He'd been in the same homeroom as Stacey and Tracey since they'd been given classes outside of the basement, but they had never actually talked to him.

"It's not a Halloween party," Zed stated. He looked around for their teacher, thankful for choosing a seat in the far back. "It's a…a Zombie Mash."

"What's the difference?"

"It's a party we Zombies have every once in a while at the old power plant that isn't technically allowed," he explained. "If it were a Halloween party, we'd only have it during Halloween season. We do this whenever we feel like."

Stacey asked, "What type of food will you have?"

Zed shrugged. "Whatever we can get. Usually a lot of pizza and soda. Sometimes we score some booze."

"We wanna help," Stacey stated. "You know, get things you can't since you're Zombies and people hate you."

Zed wasn't sure if the Aceys could tell when they said something rude. Neither Stacey nor Tracey acted as if anything were wrong, so he was guessing they just didn't have a filter.

"Party starts at eight so I'll meet you guys at the barrier around seven." After a second, he added, "And remember, don't tell Bucky."

* * *

 **THURSDAY** :

 _My parents bought it. They think I'm going to a Halloween party in Shoreside. And my dad said he's gonna get some of his buddies to go to the block party and there's gonna be a barbecue. And my mom says that later today, they're gonna lift the meat restriction on Zombies. I'm so excited!_

 _xoxo Addison_

 _There's no way you're as excited as I am._

 _Zed_

"I asked Lacey to be my date to the Zombie Mash."

" _What!_ "

Eliza covered Zed's mouth with her hand. She glanced around at the curious looks of the people passing them in the hallway. "Do you mind not telling the entire school?"

Zed nodded excitedly. Eliza raised an eyebrow at him, pulling her hand slowly. "You asked her out? What'd you say? What'd she say? Why do I feel like I'm more excited than you are?"

Eliza shrugged, leaning against her locker. "I told her about the Zombie Mash, I asked her if she wanted to go, as my date. She said 'sure'. I also mentioned that I would be the DJ for a lot of it. She said she'd make a playlist of music, in case I wanted to use it."

"That's so cute," Zed gushed. "You guys have common interests!"

Eliza shook her head at him. She watched him put his stuff away before walking alongside him, heading to the cafeteria. "Is it weird that I'm nervous?" she asked. "I haven't felt nervous since…since middle school prom."

Zed grinned. "Cause no asked you and everyone was asking everyone." He sighed slowly. Middle school, like for most people, was a nightmare. For their seventh grade dance, Zed had been asked by two seventh grade girls, an eighth grade girl, and a sixth grade boy, all of which he'd put on standby. Bonzo had been asked by his middle school crush, a zombie named Hazel.

And, because Eliza was Eliza and wasn't the most popular zombie, no one had asked her. She had said it was fine, but Zed and Bonzo could see through her facade. They had canceled all their plans and shown up as her dates, complete with corsages and taking turns dancing with her. It was a bit depressing to think about before. But now, the thought of it made them both smile.

"It's fine to be nervous," he told her. "I was a wreck, when I first asked Addy out. That's why I wrote it as a note. I felt like I was gonna throw up if I had to say it to her face."

Eliza laughed at that. "No way, you're way too confident."

Zed nodded. "It's true. I was sweating a lot too. It wasn't until we got there and everything was happening that I felt more...more like me."

"And who knows," he went on. "Maybe someday soon, you and Lacey will be, like, an actual couple. And we can go on double dates."

"And when Bonzo and Bree stop dancing around their feelings, we can go on triple dates."

"Oh my god yes!" Zed exclaimed excitedly. Eliza laughed, pushing the cafeteria doors opened.

Partway through lunch, they're all silenced and several faculty members wheel in televisions, all synced to the same local news channel. Addison leaned over and whispered to him, "My mom's gonna make her announcement soon."

The whole ordeal is a high risk move, especially with re-elections coming up. Zed wasn't sure how she was going to execute this and still stay on the good side of the majority of the population.

A little after noon, Mayor Missy came on screen and began her address to them. "Good afternoon, ladies, gentlemen, _Zombies,_ of Seabrook. I stand here before you, in our lovely city, to address you as your Mayor, a subject that has recently been brought to my attention by my own daughter. As many of you may have heard, Zombies have recently been given more leeway in our town, allowing them to attend any educational institution with fifteen miles of their home and opening the Downtown Area to all residents of Seabrook."

From across the table, he heard someone asked "We're allowed Downtown?", more to themselves than anything.

"And today, I would like to remind you all of one of our most valuable, sacred amendments regarding the care and treatment of Zombies. The BROCA-S68 Gene Mutation Clauses, Section 1, Lines 3 through 6 states that 'all rules and regulations defined in the following shall remain in affect and shall only be revised after the standard twenty year period has passed. Following this period, the following conditions shall be in order to ensure the safety of all citizens of Seabrook: the duration between the last Zombie-induced incident shall be no less than fifteen years'.

"And with the twenty year period coming to an end this December, it is my duty as your Mayor, to provide you with the following information. All of the BROCA-S68 laws will be reviewed and, if need be, revised in accordance with our society today. It is no longer the 20th Century, and much has changed between our relationship with each other. I am not saying this as a woman whose daughter is romantically involved with a zombie, but as the Mayor of _all_ of Seabrook. It is time we unite our broken town together again."

The camera switched to an overhead shot, panning over the streets of both Seabrook and Zombietown in a time-lapse. Eliza glanced at him, her eyebrows raised slightly, asking if he had known anything about it. He shrugged in response, halfway between _'I wrote the speech'_ and _'I had no clue this would happen'._

Once the camera switches back to Mayor Missy, she goes on with her speech. "The least known law is what myself and the council have been discussing for the past few weeks. Section 17 addresses the matter of Domestic Animals and the Consumption of Animals and Animal Byproducts, dealing with the restrictions on pets and foods eaten in Zombie homes. The last incident involving a Zombie and several domestic pets dates back to January twenty-fourth, nineteen-ninety-one, several months after the Z-Bands were installed. That is over twenty-five years, well over the revision time period."

"Oh yeah you definitely knew about this," Eliza muttered to him.

Zed shrugged again. He could lean closer to her without disturbing Addison, who was tucked into his side very comfortable. Eliza got the hint, leaning closer so she (and only she) could hear him. "I didn't know about _all_ this but I was told about the announcement."

"After several weeks of deliberation, it has been amended that Zombies will be allowed to own a domestic animal. This will only happen, under the following conditions: all parties in the household are between the ages of five years of age and sixty-five…"

Zed would have continued to listen (maybe, it was a lot of boring words) if Addison hadn't sat up and handed him a folder from her bag. He raised an eyebrow at her curiously, and she just shrugged, an innocent but knowing look on her face. ' _Open it,'_ she mouthed to him.

It took him a few minutes to read the first few pages before he figured out what it was. Zed's face broke into a grin as he glanced over at his girlfriend. "You didn't," he whispered.

"My parents and I went to the shelter a few days after they met Zoey," she explained in a hushed voice. "That was around the time that my mom had actually started caring about Zombies, with this whole broadcast and whatnot. I thought this little cutie was perfect the minute I met her."

"I think she might be perfect too," Zed said, smiling at her.

"Your dad was in on it, though he couldn't come to Boston with is."

From his right, Eliza hushed him, slapping his arm in protest. Zed ignored his friend, instead addressing Addison. "You went to Boston? Looking for _a dog_?"

Addison nodded. "I wanted to get the perfect puppy," she explained. "We're gonna pick her up before we go to the Block Party. It's barely an hour, no biggie."

On screen, Missy had finished her remarks and had gone to questions, at which point the school shut off the broadcast. It was silent for a minute, before regular lunchroom conversations resumed.

"I cannot believe you got my sister a dog," Zed said disbelievingly.

Addison shrugged. "Zoey deserves a dog." After a second, she added slyly, "You're bad at impersonating them too."

"Hey!"

* * *

 **FRIDAY:**

 _Ready to break every rule in the book? Meet me at the barrier, tomorrow 7_

 _Zed_

"You're disgustingly cute," Eliza grumbled.

"I can't just assume she'll go as my date, E," Zed explained. "Fold this for me, Bonzo?"

Bonzo took the piece of paper, reading it over before looking up at Zed, asking, "Ag zo?"

Zed shrugged. "I don't know what shape. Something pretty that Addison would like. Like a rose."

"A rose?"

"No one's talking to you."

"Wow," Eliza breathed out in mock shock. "you've gotten mouthy lately. What happened to my favorite pushover?"

"Za."

Zed rolled his eyes at his friends. Bonzo held up he finished product, grinning proudly. Zed broke into a smile at the origami rose; Bonzo never ceased to amaze him with his skills. "That's awesome, man," Zed exclaimed. "You're amazing, dude."

Bonzo gave him a humble shrug. "Zylgo gla Addska." Zed felt touched by his words— _only for Addison._

"Can you give it to her during your Art class?"

"Kegenze g zerven zin," Bonzo corrected stubbornly.

Zed waved him off. "'Drawing and paint 1'," he mocked. "It's all art in the end."

Bonzo mutter a curse in English at him. Zed gaped, looking from Bonzo to Eliza, who was trying to hold back laughter. "Don't you dare corrupt our sweet Bonzo!"

This time, Eliza laughed full on, almost as loud as the bell a second later.

 _You're such a dork. I'm in._

 _xoxo Addison_

 _-P.S. Meet me in the Safe Room during lunch_


	7. the truth kinda hurts

Since Addison had finished her art project for the week, she was free to do 'other assignments', which translated to free time until Monday. Her and Bonzo had spent the last few days making posters for the Block Party. It was nice, considering she hardly ever knew what Bonzo was saying. Sitting with him in Art class was like their own way of communication.

Like he usually did, Bonzo announced his presence by coming up behind her and wrapping her in a hug. Addison grinned, pressing her head against his. "Morning Bonzo," she greeted.

"Addska," he greeted, which, after a few times of hearing it, she learned was her name in Zombie.

He slid onto his stool beside her, drumming on the table instantly with his fingers. Addison grinned, watching him in anticipation. "Ta da!" he finally exclaimed, producing a folded origami rose.

She clapped her hands, grinning widely. "It's beautiful, Bonzo."

"Zebala," which she knew meant he was referring to Zed.

"It's from Zed?"

"Za."

"I gotta unfold it, huh?"

Bonzo nodded, saying again, "Za."

Addison grinned again, carefully unfolding the piece of artwork. It hurt her heart a little to see the masterpiece go away, but the knowledge of Zed writing a note important enough to be hand delivered kept her going.

 _Ready to break every rule in the book? Meet me at the barrier, tomorrow 7_

 _Zed_

' _He's such a dork,_ ' she thought to herself. She thanked Bonzo, grinning as she pulled out a new sheet of colored paper and scribbled out a reply.

 _You're such a dork. I'm in._

 _xoxo Addison_

 _-P.S. Meet me in the Safe Room during lunch_

"I'll be right back," she told Bonzo. He vaguely acknowledged her, already working on a new flier. Addison folded the paper, sliding off of her stool and heading out of the class.

* * *

"Where're you going, Addy?" Bree asked.

"I have a lunch date with Zed," Addison explained.

"Aw!" Bree gushed. "You guys are literally the cutest couple, it's like you were made for each other!"

Addison smiled at that. "There are way cuter couplers than us. Have you seen Anthony and Giselle, those two seniors?"

Bree nodded enthusiastically. "They're so cute too, but I'm a personal fan of Zeddison."

"I'm a personal fan of Bronzo."

Bree scoffed softly. "I wish, I barely even see him. Except when he's with his friends."

Addison's understood how she felt, it was one of the reasons she had set up this lunch date. They had both been busy that week, Addison planning out the Block Party and Zed setting up the Zombie Mash. They hadn't had any time to themselves since the weekend. And with the District Championship game that afternoon, she wouldn't see Zed again until the Block Party the next day.

Addison leaned in as if she were telling her friend a secret. "A little birdie told me that he's planning on asking you out, sometime soon." While Bonzo couldn't speak English, he could understand and write in it (his handwriting was better than Zed's, someone who spoke, read, and wrote in English, which was a little disappointing). Over the course of the week, Bonzo would write her notes in Art, most of which pertained to Bree and ended in the two of them formulating the perfect date.

"Really?"

Addison nodded, grinning at her friend. "And if it takes long, you gotta remember that he doesn't even speak English."

Bree sighed; Addison wasn't sure if it were a sad sigh or a kinda-happy-but-still-a-little-sad sigh. They rounded a corner, nearly walking into Zed and Bonzo. Bree perked up at the sight of her zombie-crush, while Zed just gave his girlfriend a curious look. Addison noticed him limping slightly, like he was in pain all over.

"You're going the wrong way," he pointed out.

Addison smiled, turning to walk alongside Zed. Bonzo turned to walk with Bree to the cafeteria. The group said their goodbyes, heading to their respective locations.

Once they were a good distance away from the cafeteria, Addison asked, "Are you okay? You don't look so hot."

"Deja vu," Zed muttered.

Addison grinned slightly. "You're walking weird is all, like you're in pain."

Zed shrugged simply. "Football," he said as an answer.

After a quiet minute, he asked, "Is something wrong? I wasn't sure if this was a serious meeting or, like, something fun or anything."

Addison shook her head. "Just haven't see you in a while."

"What're you talking about? I see you all the time."

"I mean, I haven't seen _you._ Like, just you and no one else. I haven't seen just you all week."

Zed opened the door to the Safe Room, going in first and holding it open for her. "I brought lunch too," she added, leading them further into the room. In the middle of the room was a picnic blanket and lunch, already laid out, along with flowers and lanterns—she had originally planned on using candles, before remembering the history Zombies had with fire.

"Woah," Zed breathed out.

Addison glanced at him, wringing her fingers nervously. It had taken her a few days to plan it all out and a lot of lying to get it all together.

Zed looked at her, his expression completely amazed. "This is so...it's so beautiful, Addy," he gushed. "You did this for me?"

As an answer, Addison's stood on her toes, kissing him gently. She pulled back, giving him a slight smile. "I'd only do this for you, Zed."

Zeds eyes searched her face. He tended to do that whenever he was about to say something romantic (or cheesy) and kiss her. "Guz non znak jak gużo gar garziga." Addison had spent enough time around Bonzo and learning little words and phrases with Zed and Eliza to figure out what he'd said: _You don't know how much I love you._

* * *

"Bonzo and I made custom posters for the game, we even used your design, just for you."

Zoey grinned up at her. Addison had been tasked of babysitting Zoey, walking her from her house and to the football game while Mr. Necrodopolus was working longer hours than usual.

"Eliza said that you aren't sitting in the bleachers," Zoey pointed out. "So will I sit with you? Or will I have to sit all the way up top, all by myself?"

"Are you kidding? You get front row seats, Z. You just gotta stay on the bench, away from the clashing bodies that aren't looking for adorable little girls by the sidelines."

"Duh! I'm six, not one. I know what's dangerous and what to avoid." Zoey said. "Between you and me, I think I'm more of the smart one in the family than Zed."

Addison laughed at that. "I'm serious," Zoey went on. "You should've heard him on the first day. He's so positive all the time, so dumbly optimistic."

Addison raised a curious eyebrow. She rarely heard anyone in her grade articulate words so clearly, and even less a six year old.

"It's okay though," Zoey went on. "I love Zed just the way he is. He's really happy and he's super protective. Did you know that, last night, he came home super-duper late because he got jumped? He had waited outside, till it was past my bedtime so I wouldn't see him like that."

"He…wait, come again?"

"Sometimes when he walks home alone and it's really dark, he'll get jumped—you know, beat up and stuff—by big mean humans," Zoey shrugged. "It happens to a lot of Zombies. It's part of the reason why we have a curfew. At least that's what they said in social studies."

Addison doesn't say anything for a while. The thought of Zed being targeting and attacked on his way home made her stomach churn. She had seen him limping and in pain earlier and had believed him when he said it was from football.

"You can't tell him I told you," Zoey added. "To Zed, I'm just his little sister who he needs to protect and hide from the world. So him knowing that I know that the world is cruel then—"

Addison's nodded. "I get it."

Zoey grinned up at her, jumping over a crack in the sidewalk. She was too adorable to have to go through everything she did. She deserved better than this, where she talked about hate crimes as casually she did.

Zoey looks up at her again, smiling widely at her most recent activity. Addison doesn't know what she just did; she hadn't been watching. The little Zombie noticed her expression, her grin faltering. "I didn't mean to make you sad. I…" Zoey's gaze falls to the ground as she shuffles her feet on the pavement. "I was just talking, and I didn't think about how I'd make you feel. I'm sorry."

"No!" Addison rushed out. She bent down to be on the younger girl's level, holding her shoulder firmly. She hadn't meant to make Zoey feel bad at all. "I'm not sad or anything, Zoey. I promise you, nothing you said just now made me sad or angry or anything."

"Well you looked all gloomy," she rationalized.

"It's not your fault I looked gloomy," Addison explained. She thought for a second, realizing that it was kind of Zoey's words that made her look gloomy. But telling her that would just make _her_ gloomy, which wasn't something she wanted to do. "I was just a little sad because…because you're such an amazing little sister—you're such an amazing person—and, and this world doesn't deserve people like you."

Zoey nodded in understanding, though her expression spelled out she didn't really understand what Addison had said.

Addison forced a small smile, standing up and taking Zoey's hand. "If we wait any longer, we'll be late for the game."

* * *

"The Mighty Shrimp call a timeout with barely twenty seconds left. The game is tied. The Mighty Shrimp have the ball. It's third and ten, with seventy-three yards to victory. If the Mighty Shrimp make this, it's on to Regionals for the Shrimp. If the Razorbacks intercept and score, it's game over Shrimp."

"And of course there's the chance of overtime," Zoey added helpfully.

Addison's nodded thoughtfully. "Seems to me like the coach is putting in Kaye at quarterback."

"Isn't it true that this is Kaye's first game back since September? Where he suffered a bad leg break?"

"Nice observation, Miss Necrodopolus."

"Why thank you, Miss…What's your last name?"

"It's—"

From where the team was huddled, Tomas Kaye complained loudly, "Why are they even down here? It's distracting!"

"They're so loud," someone else pointed out.

"Who let a Zombie on the sidelines?"

Addison lifted her gaze at the team, frowning. She caught Zed's eyes over most of their heads, seeing his look of irritation. He muttered something to the team that make his few friends there chuckle to themselves.

Addison looked back at Zoey, wondering how the little girl had taken the hurtful words. Zoey sat in thought for a minute, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "Hey Addison," Zoey called from her seat. Addison turned around, tilting her head at the little girl. "If I were to get on your back, could I watch the game from the sidelines?"

"You could get hurt," Addison pointed out.

"But come on," Zoey whined. "How many chances am I ever gonna get to see Zed win a District Championship?"

Addison smiled at her logic. Zoey was proving to be very wise six year old.

The timeout ended and the team rushed back out to the field. Taylor passed by Addison on his way to the down marker. "They're doing 'Motion-Option-Toss-Reverse'," he whispered to her in passing.

The referee blew his whistle, alerting everyone of the resuming game.

"What's that?" Zoey whispered.

Addison grinned, waiting for the second whistle (the okay for the snap) to blow. She went ahead to narrate as the play went into work. "See 6? He's gonna run backwards to the left when Erik Bronkouw says 'Down'. When he passes number 14, Erik will call the hike. Then Matthew will go off to the right, number 12 goes and blocks, and Zed fakes a block before taking off down field. Erik tosses it to 6 when he passes him, the defense will take the bait and go for him. Then 6 throws it back to Erik, who throws it to Zed."

Even though Addison knows the play through-and-through, no else does. Everyone burst in excitement, screaming and cheering, watching as "Zed clears the ball the seventy-three yards to the end zone in 15.5 seconds*, putting us up—"

"Twenty-six to twenty!" Zoey shouted in her ear excitedly. Addison laughed at the younger girl's excitement. "We win! Addison we won!"

No one was really watching the extra point—which they got—too busy celebrating the football team's District title. The excitement is enough to make Addison forget about Zed's lies, rather she was overjoyed in his victory.

Later, Addison buys dinner for the three of them, a meal of burgers and fries which they take back to the Necrodopolus household.

* * *

After a spectacular Block Party filled with music and food and games and general happiness and tolerance. It ended later than planned, which pushed into their party-setting up time. An hour before the Zombie Mash was supposed to start, Addison went with Zed to the barrier to meet the three cheerleaders coming with food and drinks and anything else they deemed necessary.

"You can't be serious," he'd said once they arrived.

"I don't see a problem," Tracey said.

Zed gestured wildly at the bright pink car. It wasn't Bucky's cheer van, but it was still loud and attracted more attention than needed.

"We're trying to be discreet," Addison explained. "Even though it's very cute, it'll attract too much attention."

"The whole point is to not alert the Z-Patrol," Zed exclaimed furiously. "This screams 'We're having a party in a structurally unstable building with almost a hundred Zombies out past curfew! Come lock us all up for the weekend!'"

The Aceys just stared at him like he were crazy. They looked from Zed to Addison, who just shrugged. "Once the Z-Patrol shuts it down, there won't be a Zombie Mash for a long time," she added.

"We have thirty boxes of pizza in the back, along with twelve tubs of wings and a lot more food," Lacey explained. "How are we gonna get it there without the car?"

"Drive down the barrier, there's an old Free Parking Lot blocks away. We'll meet you there."

Zed turned and walked away before they could argue. Addison had to bite her lip to keep from grinning at the Aceys's annoyed expression. She walked away before she had to converse with them, jogging to catch up with Zed. She watches him curiously as he walks over to one of the houses—one she knows isn't his, Eliza's, nor Bonzo's—going toward the back fence.

Zed turned back to her, asking, "Can you jump a fence?"

"I am not breaking into someone's backyard," she told him sternly.

Zed cracked a smile, letting out a short laugh. "Relax, it's Paizley's yard. She collects junk and garbage and all the broken things thrown out and restores them or gives them a new purpose. She won't mind if we borrow a few things."

Addison blinked at him. "It's stealing."

"We're gonna return it."

"Zed!" Addison exclaimed.

Zed huffed in frustration, lifting his wrist to view his Z-band. "What're you doing?" Addison asked him.

"Calling Paiz," he said offhandedly.

"You can call people on your Z-band?"

Zed nodded. "And text. They added it after the whole football fiasco. It was part of the next upgrade, which they gave everyone early 'cause...well you know."

"So let me get this straight," Addison said. "You get in trouble for hacking your Z-band, so they fix it to prevent any more hacks, giving you text messaging and calls and WiFi?"

Zed grinned at her. "I know, right? They've recently gotten an influx of young minds who _actually_ care about Zombies, not just keeping them from hurting people. Ah! Paiz says it's totally fine if we take—I mean borrow—her stuff."

"I feel like you're lying," she pointed out.

Zed shrugged, moving toward the fence. Addison begrudgingly followed. "So can you jump a fence or do I have to carry you over?"

Addison sighed. "I know how to climb a fence," she grumbled. Between them and the pending yard was a seven-foot PVC fence, worn down but still sturdy enough to provide a challenge. "Gimme a boost," she told him.

"Why do you get to go first?"

"Because I'm smaller and, based on your backyard, I'm guessing there's chain fence on the other side, which means I can pull you over if needed."

Zed tilted his head at her, most likely thinking it over in his head again. "Put your hands like you're going to throw me," she told him.

"Throw you?"

Addison nodded. "Not like a football. Like...like a person."

"Like a cheer thing?"

"Exactly a cheer thing."

* * *

" _9-1-1 what's your emergency_?"

"There's a Zombie—"

" _Ma'am all zombie-related violations must be taken to the Zombie-Patrol. Would you like me to connect you?_ "

"No, there's a _girl_ and a zombie. They're jumping a fence and breaking into a backyard in Zombietown."


	8. i'll face the fire 'cause i say

**a/n: how long has it been? I just checked a calendar and it's been a little more than a week, which is weird because it feels like it's been forever. I have so many chapters already written, they're just so horrible and need so much work. But if you follow my tumblr (fist-it-out) you'll know that I have a lot of time for the next week and hopefully that means lots of updates.**

 **Summary:** ** _Addison is furious, all in good measure, of course. Anyone would be pretty upset if their boyfriend had lied to them. To add insult to injury, she ended up getting arrested and locked in a holding cell._**

 ** _So yeah, they're not on good terms._**

* * *

"Zombies, show yourselves! You're out past curfew!"

' _Crap_ ' Zed thought. He bolted up, pulling Addison up with him and running further into the building. He was guessing the Zombie Patrol was out blocking all the possible exits and beginning their search for all the zombies on the main floor, giving him some time to get Addison and himself hidden further in the building before the Patrol caught up to them.

The Zombie Mash had proven semi-successful, always officially starting with a newer version of Bamm—usually with more dancing, people, and lyrics—which had extinguished the present humans' anxiety. Everyone was dancing and partying and embracing the energy of being themselves. Zoey hadn't even snuck in this time—Zed and Addison had struck a deal with her at the Block Party that afternoon to help cover their tracks if needed.

They had gone three hours before now, when the Zombie Patrol had shown up. Lucky for them, they had long left the party on the first level and gone down in the basement of the building, away from all the noise and people. They had spent a lot of the time exploring the features of his Z-Band, most of which weren't really necessities (but were a lot of fun).

"So it's got texting, audio and visual recording—"

"And streaming."

"Video calling, WiFi, games, and a health tracker?"

"And a distress button. In case we're ever in need of a Patrol or…like…distress."

"So descriptive."

"Shut up."

There was certainly lots of kissing there too, a task that proved easier when sitting. Zed didn't have to bend practically his entire body down to reach her, which meant they could kiss for longer. In theory, of course, because they'd knock noses or foreheads or Addison would start giggling for no actual reason.

And, seconds before the Zombie Patrol showed up, as if they were in some sort of movie, Addison had told him with a very serious expression that they needed to talk.

Lucky for them, no one ever went in the sublevels of the building. It mostly had to do with the radiation the ground had absorbed during the outbreak. When they had first sent down a team to investigate the incident, any of the ones who had gone down far enough had come back full Zombies—the Z-band wouldn't even aid them at all. The third and fourth levels of the basement were completely off limits, even being this close to the ground was making Zed crave some brains (and there was a fresh pile right behind him).

"Zed!" Addison called. She stopped in her tracks, wrenching Zed back with her arm. "Where are we going? I've got a bad feeling in my stomach."

"It's probably just the radiation." Zed winced at his poor choice of words.

" _Radiation_!" Addison exclaimed. "Like, the same radiation that made you a zombie!"

Zed covered her mouth with his hand, only for her to pull it off. "Don't shut me up, Zed! I'm not done talking to you!"

Zed groaned, putting his hands in his hair. "What more is there to say?" he cried.

"You can't keep withholding information from me!"

"Oh I'm sorry I didn't tell you that the ground in Zombietown is riddled with radiation," Zed stated in a mocking way. "Yes, the same radiation that killed all our plants and made us Zombies. I just figured that might be something they'd tell you in human school."

Addison rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not just talking about the radiation, I'm talking about how you lied to me yesterday!"

Zed groaned again. He wasn't even really sure when this had turned into an argument—he wasn't typically the one to start or continue conflicts; it was probably the radiation aggravating his inner-zombie. "When did I lie to you?" he said in exasperation.

Addison folded her arms disobediently. "A little birdie told me you got jumped on Thursday night."

Oh.

"And you _lied to me_ when I asked you what was wrong."

In any other situation, he'd have got nervous or probably confessed. His inner-Zombie was gnawing at his brain now, trying to escape from inside and eat brains. He could _smell_ her brains from where he was; the epinephrine, the norepinephrine, the dopamine. It was all so enticing, like freshly baked brownies or pizza or something, just waiting to be eaten—

"It was from football," Zed stated firmly. "How would you know, anyway? Thought Seabrook's princess wasn't allowed out at night?"

Addison narrowed her eyes, her nostrils flaring and her face going red from anger. "What's your damage, Zed? Why is it so hard for you to admit you lied to me?"

"I didn't lie to you!"

"You're lying right now!" Addison shouted. She laughed in a sort of angry, non-believing way, shaking her head.

Zed rolled his eyes in an angry way. She was annoying him beyond belief. "Just shut up, Addison! You don't know the crap I put up with, so don't you go around thinking you know everything. We are from two different worlds, that don't intersect anywhere—"

Zed was cut off by an officer, an actual police officer; "Hands where I can see 'em. Both of you!"

Addison's eyes went wide, both of them throwing their hands up. "Turn around!" They both turned to the voice, seeing four police officers and two Zombie Patrol standing in the doorway.

"This isn't over," Addison whispered harshly to him.

* * *

For the first time, Zed was in an actual police station. It was a lot cozier than Containment, where all the Zombies who had been caught were being held until morning. He and Addison were in a holding cell—more specifically, they were in two different holding cells right next to each other.

Addison and he had been arrested with charges of burglary and breaking and entering. Now that he had time to calm down, he realized how incredibly _stupid_ he had been. Not only had he gotten his girlfriend arrested, but he had lied to her on many occasions and enraged her beyond belief.

Unfortunately, the officer watching them was already annoyed so he couldn't shout apologizes to Addison. Well, the officer was more annoyed with him than Addison, letting her talk and shout all she wanted.

"My parents are going to kill me, Zed, and it's all your fault," she complained. "We wouldn't be in _jail_ if you hadn't lied to me. What's your deal? What would be the harm in telling me the truth, anyway? I thought we told each other everything. I tell you _everything_ , Zed. You're the first person I _ever_ told in my entire life about my hair, but you just go around lying like you're a magician or something."

"Addison—"

"Quiet Zombie," the officer silenced him.

Zed sighed in defeat, slumping against the bench. His wrists were still cuffed behind his back with Zombie handcuffs, designed to work in case the Z-band didn't. He knew that Addison was allowed more freedom than he was, which she was using to her advantage. He'd just have to suck it up and take responsibility for his actions.

A little into the night, a new officer had come and told them the charges had been dropped. The owner of the house had vouched for Zed's claims of being asked to get the materials. They'd be allowed to call their parents to bring them home—well Addison was, Zed was still under curfew and was gonna be kept in the cell until morning, when he'd be transferred to Containment until his dad got him.

When morning came and it was time to move him, he discovered that Addison had left in the night while he was asleep. ' _So much for apologizing_.' He had only spent an hour in Containment—where he learned that twelve Zombies had been kept for the night—before his dad got him.

Zed didn't get in trouble until he got home, getting yelled at for the Zombie Mash, the burglary, the breaking and entering, and bribing Zoey to lie for him. He got the grounding of a lifetime—four weeks of nothing but school, two weeks without football, including being benched in the Regional Semifinals game in two weeks, no friends over, and an _actual_ curfew at five pm.

"That's rough bud," Eliza said with no actual sympathy.

"And on top of it, Addison won't talk to me." Zed sighed, closing his eyes tightly. He rested his head against his locker. "Why was I so _stupid_?"

"Cause you're a guy," Eliza stated, earning her a shoulder-pinch from Bonzo. "What, it's true. Guys are very impulsive and reckless. And Zed does many things without thinking, like many guys I know."

Zed looked up at them hopefully. "Do you think you guys could talk to her? Like, get her to—to talk to me again? I just want to apologize is all."

"Oh no," Eliza said, shaking her hurriedly. "I am not getting in the middle of your straight-people-relationship problems."

At their confused looks, Eliza explained, "In every straight movie, the lack of communication draws the leading couple apart and creates problems. I don't want Addison to hate me."

Zed rolled his eyes, then turned his gaze to his other friend hopefully. "Bonzo?"

" _Fine. But if she gets annoyed I'm not gonna push her_."

The warning bell rang for first period; Zed grinned widely, pulling Bonzo into a hug. "You're the best, man! I gotta go, but see you guys later!"

* * *

" _Addison is furious_."

Zed groaned, letting his head fall back. And later that day, Addison hadn't shown up at lunch, along with Bree (much to the disappointment of Bonzo). And she hadn't gone to/sat with him in Study Hall, and had moved across the room in their biology class.

Addison did the same things the next day. And the one after that too. For the whole week, she'd gone out of her way to avoid him. Halloween came and went, the gates to Zombietown being chain locked. It was something they'd done since Zed was a kid, when a bunch of humans came and terrorized the residents of Zombietown. They'd set houses on fire and shot and stabbed as many Zombies as they could. It was beyond terrible; Zed still had the scars from it. It was a wonder he was still so positive toward humans.

After the first week she had avoided him, Zed had come to the conclusion that their argument had evolved into 'time apart', which, a few days later, had gone to 'a break' (according to Bree).

* * *

From the doorway of his room came the curious voice of his little sister. "Zed?"

He spun around in his desk chair to face her. "Hey Zo, what's up?"

Zoey made her way over to her brother, standing with her arms behind her back, rocking on her heels. She had just gotten home from school, her backpack still on. Zed watched her contemplate her next words carefully. After a minute, she looked up at her brother, asking, "Are you okay?"

"Well yeah," Zed said, plastering on his best smile. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you and Addison broke up."

His smile faltered slightly. He hadn't told Zoey about what had happened that Sunday for the sole purpose of keeping her in the dark. Addison was her favorite human, and Zoey wouldn't be happy to know exactly why they had broken up. Zed wanted her to see the world as a beautiful place, and cracking open their relationship would shatter the perspective he'd spent so long creating.

"We—we didn't break up," he told her. "We just...she...it's complicated."

"It's complicated 'cause it's my fault," Zoey stated blandly.

"How could it be your—"

"I told Addison that you were jumped."

It didn't make sense in his head. Zoey didn't _know_ about the incident, so how could she tell anyone? The only person he'd told was his dad because...well it was his dad.

Zoey moved closer, climbing up to sit on his lap. "You're not as sneaky as you think, Mr. Necrodopolus," she told him wisely. "I told her on accident, I was just talking. I didn't know you hadn't told her. I thought you guys told each other everything. Don't be mad."

"I…I'm not mad," he told her.

Zoey frowned, leaning against her brother and sighing sadly. "I'm sorry, Zed. I didn't mean for you guys to break up."

"Zoey, we aren't broken up or anything," Zed explained. "We've just…we hit a rough patch. And I plan on apologizing, so so so much. Once she calms down a little, of course. Because she's really upset, and it's my fault, and lying is bad."

"Lying is really bad," Zoey added. She gave a short, humorless laugh. "Look where it got you."

"Ha ha," Zed said plainly. "Bet you think you're _so_ funny. Let's see how funny you find _this_!" Zed shouted, hoisting his sister over his shoulder and jumping up, spinning around and eliciting squeals and shouts of joy from her.

* * *

The Regional Semifinals finally rolled around, a Thursday afternoon two weeks into Zed's punishment. Part of that punishment included being benched in the game, which meant he had to go to the game in his uniform, and watch from the sidelines, unable to play. It was more cruel than just not playing, but he figured he deserved it. At least then, Addison couldn't actively avoid him.

The ride to East Western High School was an hour and a half. Zed had originally planned on spending most of the ride apologizing until his voice was raw and hoping for the best. It's a foolproof plan, except when several fools get involved.

What Zed hadn't planned for was Addison requesting to ride with the cheerleaders. It was the only hitch in the plan, the literal only thing that could go wrong. And it did.

Zed had resigned himself to sulking in the front of the bus, as far away from his teammates—who all currently held grudges against him. What did he expect, though? They were all beyond pissed at him and now was their chance to show it, considering this was the only time they had seen him in the past two weeks.

"You did great Zed. Getting benched for this game." Daniel, the second punter, said to him on the bus.

"Zed just decided we didn't need to win," Eric, running back, said.

Zed rolled his eyes, barely turning to face them. "You guys don't need me to win."

"Except for the fact that they do," Taylor said. "I mean, they'd literally won zero games until you showed up."

"Because no one cared!" Zed exclaimed. He sat up in his seat, turning to address the rest of the team. "All anyone ever cared about were the cheerleaders. But the cheerleaders lost their Regional Championship, and look at us. We're on our way to the first Regional Semifinals in like, forever. And I didn't do it by myself. You all saw what happened when I play full games, I literally almost died."

That made some of them—the ones who actually liked him—laugh. Zed grinned, continuing with his motivational speech; he wasn't even the captain, and here he was, inspiring hearts and all that shit. "So obviously, I can't do it alone, which means that I don't carry the team. So at least one person here can do it. Or you all can, I dunno. Most of the time I'm with you guys is practice, and you mostly just hate on me."

"Zed, I don't think you realize this, but we suck."

"We suck ass, man," Bryce—wide receiver—added.

"Well yeah," Zed agreed. "But…what if you had some incentive? Like, if you guys win and we go to Regionals, then I'll get the cheerleaders to let us have a party in their cheer lounge."

"Oh that's not happening," Tommy stated. "We can't win."

"You guys," Coach warned.

"The cheerleaders will be there too," Zed added. "And it'll be that good pizza. From that shop that's super classy and doesn't deliver to Zombietown."

"You mean every place?" More people laughed at that, more accustomed to anti-zombie jokes than anything.

Taylor—the only person on the bus who associated with him outside of football—came to his rescue. "Fuck off, Tomas," Taylor stated.

"Language," Coach called.

The guys laughed some more. Tommy then said, "You've got yourself a deal, if your girl-Zombie comes too."

"Eliza?"

"Yeah. For a Zombie, she's hot."

' _She's also gay_.' Zed didn't say it though. Eliza didn't typically appreciate anyone speaking on her behalf, and he also wanted to see the ass-whooping she was going to give them.

It was easier than thinking about his girlfriend—or Addison, he didn't even know what they were anymore—hating him and never giving him another chance again.

* * *

It's not the first time he's seen her since the Zombie Mash. They still have Biology, where she moved to the opposite side of the room to avoid him, and Gym class, where she actively avoids him and he doesn't attempt to piss her off anymore than he already has.

It still won't change the fact that it's the first time she lets him get close to her in two weeks. Addison didn't say anything at first, watching the game with mild interest. She barely even acknowledged him, giving him a quick glance when he stands beside her but nothing more.

Halftime came with the game at 6-7, Seahawks favor. All of the guys went into the visiting locker room, while the Seahawks dance team took the field for the halftime show. Addison headed back to the bench, probably to go over the notes she'd taken during the game, when Zed stopped her. "Excuse me," she told him without making eye contact, trying to step around him. Zed followed her, blocking her path.

"Addison."

"Mr. Necrodopolus."

Zed sighed; she sounded like his sister whenever she was trying to be serious. "Can we talk? Please?"

"I have nothing to say to you."

"So can I talk then?" Zed asked. "Please?"

Addison didn't say anything. After a minute, she looked up at him, smiling coldly. "I was in a holding cell for four hours, because of you. I trusted you, I thought that you might know better. And I was wrong. There is _nothing_ you can say, Zed, to make me trust you."

"Addy—"

"Don't call me that," she said in irritation. "I don't want you to call me that again. I don't want to hear from you, either. I have never been in so much trouble in my life, until I met you. And I honestly don't want to deal with that anymore."

"But Addison, I-I love you. And I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Zed," she told him. "And don't think it's because you're a Zombie, because it's not. It's because you're you, and all you've done is put yourself before anything else in the world. And I don't want that kind of person as my boyfriend." She let out a wobbly laugh. "I guess it's like you said: we're from two different worlds."

* * *

 **A/N: so what'd you think? I really liked Eliza in this scene. Most of her dialogue is usually based off of my friend who says the weirdest or gayest shit. That Eliza line is a quote from him—not a direct quote but still a quote. As always, read and review (I always read them even if I don't akways respond).**


	9. and there are voices in my head

**WARNING: This chapter has a lot of back and forth between Addison and the self-loathing, suicidal voices in her head.**

 **summary: _The break up is just as hard for Addison as it is for Zed._**

 **LoveShipper: you always review and you're awesome. It's incredibly stupid that she's so mad about him lying, because what would she have done. Hopefully this helps clear up why she was so mad, and if not blame her being a crazy fourteen year old (my sister is fourteen and is insane).**

 **Glad I could post this today (two chapters in one day!) since this and chapter 8 were both really short.**

* * *

"Not only did you sneak out, you went into Zombietown _alone—_ "

"In a structurally unsafe building—"

"—and got _arrested_."

Addison stood quietly. There wasn't anything she could say to diffuse the situation, really. She wasn't even sure if anyone even _got_ arrested in Seabrook. Here she was, the oddball out again.

Her parents were practically livid. No one liked being woken up at four in the morning, especially not to find out that their child is in a holding cell at the local prison.

"Well? What were you doing?" her mom asked. "God knows where you could've ended up if the _police_ hadn't shown up."

' _I_ would _have come home at midnight_.'

"You could've been kidnapped or killed! Zombietown is not safe for humans!" her dad exclaimed.

' _Maybe I should've been. At least then I wouldn't have to put up with the shitshow that is this family. I wouldn't have to deal with the only person I ever trusted, who lied to me. Who got me arrested. Who probably doesn't even care about me_.'

"What do you have to say for yourself young lady?"

' _I hate it here. I wish I were never born_.'

"Nothing Mom." After a second, Addison added, "It won't happen again."

"You're right, it won't," Missy said. She looked at her husband briefly, the two of them nodding together before turning back to Addison. "It's about time we lay some ground rules around here. Starting with you being home before dark, and staying in one of our eyesights until bedtime."

' _But that's not fair!_ I _get a curfew at freaking sundown because of one incident?_ '

"Yes Mom," Addison agreed willingly. On the inside, anger bubbles within, but she knows she can't argue on this. She'd lose, she was in the wrong on lots of accounts. And they were her parents. They probably had a file of everything she did wrong that they didn't call her on, ready for an incident like this. It's just not worth the fight, she decided.

* * *

In most cases, the more time that passed the less angry she would get. In most accounts, she wouldn't be angry past two days.

The thing is, Zed did more than just anger her. He hadn't _just_ lied to. He hadn't _just_ gotten her arrested. He hadn't _just_ offended her. All the things Zed had done had literally messed her up. It took two years for her to get rid of her self-hatred, to actually learn to value herself as an actual person.

Growing and being told that she was freak, that she had to hide who she was in order for anyone to like her, had ruined her self esteem. Her own family had expressed their disgust and disappointment in her, for fourteen years. Everyday she was constantly reminded of their words, of the fact that they only tolerated her because they were related. They had even told her that they wouldn't associate with her if they weren't related. Stuff like that hurt, stuff like that makes a little six year old cry.

Addison had come to terms with her disease years ago, learning that she would have to fake it. Fake being some perfect princess, if it meant having people talk to her.

And then Zed had come along, all cute and inspiring hearts and telling her she was beautiful, that she should just be herself. Figures he turns out to be a liar.

* * *

It's in times like these where Addison dreads being alone. Being alone gives her the opportunity to think, to be alone with her thoughts. The same thoughts that made her cry when she was eight, made her wish to not wake up the next morning when she was ten, made her want to just sit back and die when she was twelve.

' _No one can love a freak._ '

Zed meant nothing to her.

' _Not even a Zombie could tolerate you_.'

She meant _nothing_ to anyone. If she were to disappear right then and there, hugging her knees on her bathroom floor, sobbing to herself, no one would notice. Just one less burden.

' _He's lied about so many things, figures he'd lie about you too_.'

' _He doesn't_ love _you. You're just a snack to him. A white-haired freak._ '

Who could love her? Not even a Zombie would. It was enough to make her cry harder.

' _You're not beautiful, your hair isn't beautiful_.'

Sometimes, thinking happy thoughts made it better. So she sang quiet to herself, her voice wobbly and cracking, "If different was a superpower, we'd be so flawless." And then she thought of Zed again.

' _You'll never fit in. Seabrook is all about perfection, which you don't have._ '

"I'm from the perfect paradise, and you're living on the darker side."

' _What else did he lie about?_ '

"Oh what could go so wrong with a girl and a zombie?"

* * *

 _Zed misses you._

"That's interesting," she stated coldly. She had learned long ago that attitude was better than crying. If she acted confident, she wouldn't cry. And she was _not_ going to cry over a boy.

 _He just wants to talk_.

Addison shook her head, sliding the paper from Bonzo's hands to her side of the table. "I don't want to talk to him, Bonzo," she said, ripping the paper in half. "And I don't want to talk about him either."

* * *

"Bonzo asked me out."

If it were any other time, not that week, Addison would've been happy for her friend. Except now, it was hard to talk about guys, to talk about crushes and relationships, without the voices coming back, telling her she was hated and ugly and that she should just kill herself. She could get through this, just like she'd done the last time.

"That's great Bree," she said. She meant it, really. She had been waiting weeks for the two of them to stop dancing around their feelings and get together. Her and Zed had been joking about double dates.

Bree had gone off on a tangent like usual, gushing about whatever subtopic that came from being asked out by her crush. Addison only half listened enough to respond when needed but still not really listen.

"Addy," Bree said, five minutes into her jumble of nonsense. Addison looked at her friend, giving her best 'life is great!' smile. It was pretty terrible, considering Bree had only looked more concerned after. "Are things…okay? Like, with you? With the whole 'Zed situation'?"

"It's not a situation," Addison explained. "We're on a break. I can't…I can't deal with him right now." ' _I've got enough demons to deal with_.'

* * *

By some miracle, her parents had allowed her to travel to the Regional Semifinals. Of course, their conditions included her staying within Bucky's range. She even had to sit with him on the bus ride there and back. It was the first time she'd been in the cheer bus, considering she had left before they started having away games.

After she and Zed had their falling out, she had considered requesting to rejoin cheer. Except for the constant reminder that she was a freak. A freak no one liked, no one would even tolerate. Hell, the only reason she was even associating with them was because of her cousin, who had kicked her off the team for being a freak.

In the beginning of the game, Zed came and stood beside her. Addison chose to ignore it, simply because they were both there to watch the game. She had heard from some of the guys that Zed had been benched from the game, which is what he deserved.

It's probably the first time she's looked at him since the Zombie Mash, _really_ looked at him. His hair had grown a few inches, long enough to stand up on his head and fall in his eyes all at once.

Halftime came with the game at 6-7, Seahawks favor. All of the guys went into the visiting locker room, while the Seahawks dance team took the field for the halftime show. Addison headed back to the bench to sit down for the first time since the game began, when Zed stopped her. "Excuse me," she told him without making eye contact, trying to step around him. Zed followed her, blocking her path.

"Addison."

"Mr. Necrodopolus."

Zed sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Can we talk? Please?"

"I have nothing to say to you."

"So can I talk then?" Zed asked. "Please?"

Addison wasn't going to say anything. She had every intention of giving him the cold shoulder. After a minute, though, she decided to tell him _exactly_ why she refused to talk to him. She looked up at him, smiling coldly. "I was in a holding cell for four hours, because of you. I trusted you, I thought that you might know better. And I was wrong. There is _nothing_ you can say, Zed, to make me trust you."

"Addy—"

"Don't call me that," she said in irritation. "I don't want you to call me that again. I don't want to hear from you, either. I have never been in so much trouble in my life, until I met you. And I honestly don't want to deal with that anymore."

"But Addison, I-I love you. And I'm sorry."

' _Bullshit_.'

' _Why would_ anyone _love a freak like you?_ '

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Zed," she told him. "And don't think it's because you're a Zombie, because it's not. It's because you're you, and all you've done is put yourself before anything else in the world. And I don't want that kind of person as my boyfriend." She let out a wobbly laugh, holding back tears. She would not cry, she refused to cry over him. "I guess it's like you said: we're from two different worlds."


	10. you're the only answer i need

**A/N: This chapter is from Addison's POV again. Holy Spirit, the voices are still there. Zed's in this chapter too, and he's got some pretty painful scars but they're not focused on too deeply. A lot of emotional talk and what not here.**

 **Starlight623 (for chapter 8): I intended to make people very sad, which I'm usually bad at doing but glad it got across.**

 **(for chapter 9): it took everything in me to extend this fight past chapter 8. I mean, look at those puppy eyes!**

 **Lya Carvalho: this chapter, as well as 8 and 9, have been written for like a week. But they all needed to be edited which I was way to lazy to do by myself (thank Angelina, she's the best). I mostly wait longer periods to extend the anxiety, keep you on your toes.**

 **LoveShipper: adding in insecurities and expanding Addison's character like that was like a whole new dynamic that I didn't think I was ready to do, as a writer. Hopefully it came across well and you (all of you) got the idea I was trying to convey.**

 **Chapter 10 Summary: _Addison tríes, she really does, to stay angry at Zed. But he's been missing for a week and the conversation with her dad left her uneasy. Its two miles between the school and his house, and she can't think of any actual reason for running there, unexplained and unannounced, other than loving him and caring for him._**

* * *

Addison was at her locker Friday morning, replacing her art supplies with her books for the next few classes, when Daniel Bregola from the football team approached her with two of his other teammates, whose names Addison didn't care to know, flanking him. "Addison!"

She plaster on a pleasant smile, turning to the three upperclassmen. "Yes?"

"Where's your boyfriend?" Tomas demanded.

"Zed?"

They all nodded. "He made a deal with us. He said that if we won last night we'd get a party, with Antonio's Pizza and cheerleaders. And he's not here."

"Why would I know where Zed is?"

"You two are practically attached at the hip," Daniel stated.

Addison shook her head. These guys weren't her friends, or acquaintances, but she'd figured Zed would've at least told them by now. It had been practically two weeks since the Zombie Mash. She didn't care, though. It wasn't her job to share with people she didn't talk—people she didn't even enjoy associating with—her personal life. She wasn't going to give them that satisfaction. "I have to get to class," she said.

Using her small stature to her advantage, she squeezed past them, heading off to English (where she'd see Bree and Eliza).

* * *

So Zed wasn't in school Friday. It didn't affect Addison, not at all. They were broken up. He had lied to her, he lied about a lot of things. She didn't concern herself with what he did and what happened in his life. Plus, lots of people didn't show up on Friday.

And besides, it meant she got to sit with her friends in lunch. And none of them seemed to be concerned with Zed's whereabouts, so why should she?

In the back of her head, a small voice told her, ' _Because you love him, and when you love somebody you get worried when they disappear_.'

"Shut up," she hissed at herself. She glanced up, seeing that either no one noticed or everyone chose to ignore what she has said.

She didn't need Zed. Sure, he had been a major impact on her life. But Addison was fourteen! She wasn't 'ready' for a serious relationship, according to her Aunt Janet. And her and Zed, they could never make it work. They lived two completely different lives.

* * *

Zed wasn't at school on Monday either. Or Tuesday. Elections had come and went; Addison's mother was re-elected. But who expected otherwise, anyway? And even though lots of people didn't particularly agree with her sudden kindness to Zombies, they definitely didn't agree with _anything_ the other candidate believed. It was kind of funny, really, seeing Seabrook have to settle.

Wednesday came and, no surprise, Zed wasn't there. It was beginning to concern her, actually. Not because she loved him and was constantly worried about him even though he had significantly pissed her off, but because no one seemed concerned he hadn't shown up for four days. She was genuinely concerned about him, in the same way she'd be concerned if Bree or Eliza or someone else hadn't shown up for four days.

When Thursday morning came and Zed wasn't walking in with his friends, Addison decided that, against all her better judgement, she needed to find out where he was. As a friend, of course.

"Hey Eliza, have you seen Zed?"

Eliza shook her head at that. "We don't typically worry about what Zed does until at least a week. He's a tall and strong guy, he can handle himself."

Bonzo said something in Zombie, Addison only catching a reference to Zoey and school. When she looked at Eliza for an explanation, the Zombie explained, "Zed's probably just sick or something, 'cause we see Zoey going to school in the morning."

"Zombies get sick?" Addison didn't mean to come off as rude. She knows that Zombies can get sick, she's witnessed Zed get sick before. It just slipped out.

Eliza and Bonzo didn't really seemed fazed by it though. "We're still just like you, Addison."

"De gozed gaza," Bonzo said, laughing with Eliza.

Addison didn't wait for a translation. She went inside of the school, already heading off to her first period ten minutes early.

* * *

"Addison!"

Addison stopped on the grand staircase, turning just as Taylor ran up to her.

It was Friday now, still no Zed and still no concern from his friends. Addison had even taken the liberty of texting a simple 'Hi' to him the night before. It was the middle of the day, and there was still no answer.

"What's up?" Addison asked.

Taylor's short curls were all ruffled and his face was red, like he'd just come from running. Well, he did. "I know you guys broke up and whatever, but do you have any idea where Zed is? He hasn't come to school—or practice—all week and I've got some very angry football players after me."

"I dunno," Addison stated with a sigh. "Eliza says that he's probably sick."

"He was fine last Thursday," Taylor stated. "How are you not worried?"

' _What if he was attacked again?_ '

The thought hadn't even crossed her mind. "I'm thinking of checking Zombie Containment," Taylor went on. "Maybe he didn't make it home early enough and he's been there for curfew violations?"

"For a week?"

"I don't know how things work in the law offices," Taylor said in exasperation. "It's just, something's not right about this, Addison. Zed isn't one to not show up without explanation. And according to Coach, no one's called in sick for him."

' _And most at-home sickness don't take a week to shag._ '

"I-I gotta go," she told him. "The bell's gonna ring soon."

Addison turned to continue up the stairs. "But Addison—" Taylor said, his voice loud with worry. Addison turned back, looking at him. She kept her expression blank, attempting to not give away any signs of worry. "I have a bad feeling about this, like someone's withholding information or something."

"I have to go," Addison repeated.

She didn't turn back when he called her name again. There were more important things to worry about, like her English essay.

It's hard to concentrate on English with the lingering thought of her boyfriend—her ex-boyfriend—lying dead in an alley somewhere, where there'd be no investigation or justice for his death because he's a Zombie and because, believe it or not, Seabrook is still trying to erase the outbreak from their history.

' _Zed isn't dead, he's probably just sick._ ' she told herself.

 _People don't get sick for that long Addison. You know that. When Raina was sick for more than four days she had to go to the emergency room._

 _Bet Eliza and Bonzo aren't telling you what really happened because you were a major dick to him._

 _You broke up with him for no reason._

 _Did you see his face? He was so heartbroken. He probably killed himself, like you should've done a long time ago._

 _If you were dead, them maybe he wouldn't be_.

Addison stood up, interrupting the explanation of the essay and drawing the attention of pretty much everyone in the class, including Eliza and Bree next to her. "Mr. Quigley can I go to the bathroom?" Addison asked.

He agreed—hopefully at least, she didn't really wait for his answer before rushing out of the room. Addison waited until she was a good distance from the classrooms to pull out her phone, dialing her Dad. He answered on the fourth ring, around the same time she was walking into the bathroom.

"Addison shouldn't you be in school?" he asked upon answer.

"I have to ask you something," she stated. "It's like, your job to know what Zombies do and to protect them and humans, right?"

"You know this," he said. "You called me during school to ask that?"

Addison chose to ignore that. "What happens when Zombies get sick? Is there a doctor they go to or something?"

"All Zombie Affairs happen in Zombie Containment."

"Can you do me a favor, then? Can you…can you check if Zed is there? Is that in your power, at least?"

Dale sighed, probably shaking his head where he was. Addison heard the telltale sign of him typing, grinning to herself. After a minute of muttering, her dad answered her. "Zed's last visit to Zombie Containment was in October. His last doctor's visit was in March."

After a second, he inhaled sharply. "Great god," he muttered. "That is _not_ good."

"What? What's wrong?" Addison demanded.

"Addy I can't disclose that kind of confidential information!"

"Dad! You can't just say something like that and expect me not to ask!" she whined. "What's not good?"

"It's a violation of the code of conduct."

"Is he missing? Is he dying? Is he dead?" He didn't reply, sending her thoughts into overdrive. Hundreds of scenarios ran through her head, so much so she couldn't even really see them. " _Oh my god_ Zed's dead," she cried out.

"He's not…he's not dead," her dad said, then muttering, "not yet at least."

Addison hung up the phone before he could say anything else. She didn't know what she was really doing, going through the motions as she shoved her phone back in her pocket, walking quickly out of the bathroom and back to class. The look on Bree and Eliza's faces when she walked in tells her that she's not fine in the slightest. Addison grabbed her bag from the ground, exiting the classroom as quickly as she had walked in.

She vaguely registered Mr. Quigley calling after her, Bree and Eliza actually coming out of the room to see where she's going. She started to run, sprinting down the halfway to the main entrance, outside in a matter of seconds. It's a split second decision, pulling the straps of her bag over both her shoulders before running again, heading toward Zombietown.

At nine in the morning, everyone in Seabrook is either at work, at school, or deep inside their homes. Addison passed through the human neighborhoods fairly quickly. The cold air bites at her lungs as she ran, the mid-November weather not in favor of most exercises, especially not running almost two miles from school to Zombietown.

The gates of Zombietown are wide open; Zed's house was only two blocks from the gates, not too far from the old Seabrook Power Plant.

It'd probably look strange to anyone passing by: a white-haired human in a bright red jacket and blue jeans running through Zombietown in the middle of the morning.

She knocked on the front door first, waiting for three minutes before resulting to other measures. ' _Zed's window has a view of the front street_ ,' she thought.

Addison picked up a pebble in his front yard, taking a few steps back to aim at his window before throwing it. If he's in there asleep, it'll surely wake him up and not break the glass at the same time. The pebble bounced off the glass with no avail, though she doesn't expect just one to wake him up. He's a heavy sleeper and he hates mornings; he's incredibly grumpy when he first wakes up too.

"Six. Six should be a good number," she muttered to herself.

Addison paused between each throw, counting backwards from forty before the next one. By the fourth pebble, she'd resigned herself to giving up, going to retrace the walk from his house to school and see if she finds anything along the way that might clue her to where he is.

' _Two more_ ,' she told herself.

The fifth pebble hit the window, the _THWACK_ louder than the other four. From the opened window, Zed called down, "Stop it!" his voice raw and strained, like he had lost his voice. Addison looked up, seeing Zed leaning out the window. She couldn't see much of his face in the shadow from his room, though she was pretty sure he was scowling.

"Why are you throwing rocks at my window?"

"You wouldn't answer the door!" she called back.

"I was sleeping," he stated. "Why aren't you at school?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Zed didn't reply to that. "Can you come down here so we can…so we can talk?"

It seemed like Zed wanted to say something else, though he just sighed. "Give me a minute."

"Can I have some water too?"

* * *

"Wow," Addison breathed out, "you look like hell."

Zed gave her a weak smile, passing her a water bottle. Zed looked worse than worse for wear; he looked _worse_ than a zombie. His eyes were red and puffy, surrounded by darker circles than usual; he had several unsightly bruises running along the left side of his head, from his temple down to his neck. He wasn't wearing a shirt, revealing bruises and cuts all along his torso, the dark veins that stretched around his left arm had spread through his upper torso, up his neck, and down his right arm.

"I could say the same about you," Zed told her, gesturing to her flushed face and now messy ponytail. "How'd you get here, anyway?"

"I ran."

Zed blinked at her, tilting his head at her slightly. "You ran here? From school?"

Addison nodded, taking a long drink from her water bottle.

"That's two miles, Addison."

Addison shrugged. "I…Can I come in? To explain?"

"Yeah," Zed said, stepping aside to let her in.

Addison walked over to his couch, turning to watch him limp over slowly. They both sat down, an awkward space between them. "So is there any reason you ran two miles to my house?" Zed asked.

"I, uh, I was worried," Addison stated. "I mean, you haven't been to school in a week, and Eliza said you were sick. And it got me thinking that if you're sick for that long, you'd probably go to a doctor. So I called my dad, to see if he could find anything useful. And then…then he was like 'oh, this isn't good' and refused to tell me anything else and I just—now I'm here."

"Now you're here," Zed agreed.

"Are—are you okay, Zed?"

Zed shook his head, leaning back and closing his eyes. "I don't wanna talk about this right now, Addy—Addison, I mean."

"How'd you lose your voice?"

Zed shook his head again. "I just wanna go back to sleep," he told her. "You woke me up, and I can't fall asleep at night, and I can't stay asleep most times either because I wake up screaming or in pain or crying because I can't stop dreaming of you and it hurts so much." Zed sniffed, wiping away the few tears that had slipped from his eyes.

Addison scooted closer to him, resting a hand on his knee. Honestly, she didn't know what she was doing or why she was there. _She_ had broken up with him, and now here she was, in his house comforting him because he missed her.

Zed opened his eyes, gazing at her through the tears. "Why are you here, Addison? So you could make me feel even worse about myself? If you haven't noticed, I'm already miserable."

Addison leaned up and pressed her lips to his hard, catching him by surprise. It lasted less than a minute though, both of them pulling back at about the same time.

Addison's eyes drifted to the bruise on his face. "What happened?" When Zed didn't say anything, Addison went on. "Someone beat you up, didn't they?" He gave her a short nod, glancing down at the ground. "Is that why you haven't been at school all week?"

"I couldn't walk until yesterday," Zed told her. "My… my Z-Band is unstable. It doesn't stay on for more than two hours, tops."

Addison sighed slowly, leaning against his chest. "Why didn't you want to tell me? Why—why did you lie?"

"I was afraid you'd do something like this," Zed admitted.

"What does that mean? You were afraid I'd care?"

"Addison, you ran two miles here, because you were worried about me," Zed stated. "I don't…when you get upset, I get upset. When you cry, I cry. I didn't want you to be upset because of me, I—I don't want you to have to go through all of this, just because of me."

Addison laughed sadly. "You lying to me, will make me worry even more."

"I wouldn't say it's lying," Zed said. "More like, withholding information. I do it with Zoey."

"Zoey's the one who told me, Zed."

Zed nodded in understanding. "She told me that," he said. "I—I don't tell Zoey for reasons you won't understand, but I hope you can understand why I didn't want to tell you."

Addison leaned against his chest, pressing her ear against his heart. Zed grimaced but didn't protest. "You should…you should go back to school. It's not safe here, with me."

"Zed…"

"You deserve someone better than me, Addison." Addison glanced up, feeling Zed's tears fall on her forehead. "I'm a monster, I—I hurt you, and I make you worry and stress. You should be with a human, who won't cause trouble, who—"

Addison leaned up, kissing him again. "I don't want anyone but you," she muttered against his lips. She held his face in her hands, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Zed pulled back from her. His eyes scanned over her face, still shining with tears. "Why?" he rasped out. "Why are you sorry?"

"I was unfair to you," she told him in a whisper. "You deserve better than me."

Zed shook his head. "You—you're perfect, you deserve someone perfect."

Addison swung a leg over his legs, straddling his waist. "You're perfect."

In the next minute, everything went to hell. One minute she was kissing Zed, one of his hands cradling her jaw and the other tangled in her hair. Then the next, his nails were digging into her scalp, his teeth biting hard into the flesh of her lips, hard enough to draw blood. With sudden realization, her eyes flew open and she jerked out of his grasp, splitting her lips open and falling against his coffee table.

In the seconds since he had started kissing her he'd gone from regular Zed to full Zombie—black, bulging veins running across all his exposed skin.

"Zed?" she whispered, her voice laced with fear.

His eyes opened slowly, his neutral expression changing to a malicious snarl, a low growl emitting from his throat. Addison scurried off the table, moving around to put some distance between the two of them.

He advanced, his eyes—once bright and excited—were dark and dead and wild, like he was, well, a Zombie. Addison stumbled back, tripping over a ball or a shoe or something. With a sickening twist in her gut she realized she was alone, where no one knew where she was, with a wild Zombie in his own home.

' _Not a wild zombie,_ ' she told herself. ' _He's Zed. He's your boyfriend. He loves you._ '

 _Zed_ doesn't _love you. All you've done is accuse him and ruin his life. You deserve to die at the hands of a Zombie._

"Shut up shut up shut up," she muttered to herself.

Something was definitely wrong with his Z-Band. He'd been there with her the whole time, and they had been updated not too long ago. She took deep breaths, her eyes searching his face, waiting for him to pounce. She had no idea how to get him back to normal—back to Zed. The first time he had gone full Zombie he'd banged his band again on the hardwood gym floor. And the last time, Gus had shown up and shocked him back to reality.

This time there was no Gus, no electricity and nowhere to smash the band into. It was just her, cowering on the ground at the mercy of a zombie.

Zed surged forward, wrapping his hands around her neck. He gripped her neck hard enough to bruise her windpipes, making her gasp out a breath.

"Zed!" she gasped out. She struggled to draw in another breath, tears prickling at the corner of her eyes. "I-I love you, Zed. I love you so much and—" she squeaked in surprise and pain, feeling his grip tightened around her neck, "and I'm sorry about everything."

His grip faltered; Addison took in a deep, shaky breath, opening her eyes. Zed was still a full zombie, swollen veins crawling up his neck and his eyes sunken even deeper than usual in his head. He peeled his hand from her throat fully, muttering something in zombie tongue.

Addison reached up, interlinking their fingers. "You won't hurt me?"

"Zunkah," he mumbled in a gruff voice, his gaze falling to the ground.

"No, you're not a monster," she said to him. "Not to me, Zed."

He dragged his gaze up slowly; his eyes, still dark and unlively, were swimming with lingering hope and sadness and love all at once. "I love you, Zed," she whispered again. He groaned in Zombie, leaning down and kissing her again.

Kissing a full Zombie—whether he was already her boyfriend and she'd kissed him countless times before—was like a whole new experience. It was different then before, rough and filled with passion, like his whole world began and ended with her lips.

He squeezed their interlocked hands like his life depended on it, just off the cusp of it being bone crushing. He pulled his lips back, pressing his forehead against hers. She took a second to catch her breath, then opened her eyes slowly to look at him. Somehow, Zed looked normal again, more human and more like himself. He had tears streaming down his face, his eyes pinched closed. His mouth was moving; he was muttering something she couldn't understand.

He reached up with his other hand, gently tracing his thumb across the bite on her lip. "I'm sorry," he choked out quietly. His hand dropped from her face. "I'm so, _so_ sorry."

"It's not your fault," she said. She reached up with her free hand, swiping her thumb across his cheek. "I love you, Zed."

Zed ducked his head down, nuzzling his cheek by her hair. "Gar garziga," he mumbled.

Addison smiled a little, pressing her forehead against his again, saying, "Gar garziga."

His expression was pinched together, laggard pants escaping his mouth. "You're okay, Zed," she assured him, squeezing his hand. "We're okay."


	11. what happened what's going on

**A/N: I struggled a little with this. At the last minute I added in the story Zed told. I felt that we need more angst in this story, it was getting too happy. Don't worry, I can assure you that chapter 16 at the latest will resume all happy cheerfulness.**

 **Majority of this chapter is between Zed and Addison's parents. Zombie names are from unusual-ly**

 **LoveShipper: Oooo, you have no idea. Terribly excruciating.**

 **Starlight623: I hate to say it, but I'm pretty sure this isn't the chapter where hey resolve what happens with the Z-Band. But at least they've made up.**

 **Summary: _Zed gives the answers to questions everyone's been too afraid to ask._**

* * *

Zed woke up to the sound of his front door being forced open and a loud, gruff shout, "Zombie Patrol coming in!"

He had half the mind to know it wasn't a whole Patrol Team and just Addison's dad. Well, considering the position they were in, Zed was pretty sure he'd rather have a Patrol Team. It wasn't _wildly_ inappropriate, though it probably wasn't where you wanted to find your daughter, asleep and cuddling on the couch with her Zombie boyfriend.

Zed turned his head to the commotion, not attempting to appear cheery and happy like usual. He was mildly surprised to find both of Addison's parents there, standing in his doorway. Mayor Missy looked shocked, as if she wasn't expecting Zed to be in his own home.

Addison grumbled in her sleep, turning over at the disturbance. "Why are neither of you in school?" Chief Dale demanded.

Addison groaned, turning to face her parents. "School's almost over anyway," she mumbled.

"Addison, wake up," Mayor Missy commanded. "Why are you even here I thought you two broke up?"

"How did you even get here? It's like, four miles."

"It's two, and I ran," Addison told them sleepily.

"Well I guess that answers my question," her mom commented to herself.

Addison hummed, nuzzling back against Zed's chest. "Addison you can't just skip school," her dad said. "We've been looking for you all over town."

"Sorry," she apologized. "I just…After I called you, I got really worried so I came straight here."

Chief Dale just sighed, either in frustration or defeat. "Addy, get off me," Zed said. His throat was still raw and hoarse, though he hadn't cried since Addison had shown up—well, since he and Addison had made amends.

Now she was cuddling against him on the couch, which was a soft way of saying she was laying with most of her body pressing on top of his. It didn't matter where she lay, because either side she'd be pushing on a still sore bruise, where a rib had recently healed, or where a cut had just started to close.

Her getting up hurt more than just having her laying there—at least when she was laying down she wasn't pushing off of him, practically putting all of her body weight on him.

Once Addison and gotten off of him and onto another chair, she asked her parents, "How did you find me anyway?"

Mayor Missy began to explain, "Well your school called an hour and a half after you went missing—an issue in itself—so I called your father. And we both looked for you at home and your favorite places, like Cherry on Top and Painting Swirls, and you weren't there. So we went back to your school, and your girl Zombie friend—"

"Eliza?" Zed asked.

Both adults glanced at him strangely. "Yes?" Dale said, an undertone of a question there.

"Well, Eliza told us what happened before you left, Dale remembered your call, and we came right over." Missy finished quickly. "I'm sorry, Zed, what's wrong with your voice?"

"He lost it," Addison answered for him.

"Ah," Dale sighed. "Would that have anything to do with the surges and malfunctions with your Z-Band readings, Zed?"

Zed nodded, rotating on the couch to a sitting position. He picked up Zoey's puppy, which she had taken to calling Puppy even though his name was Frankie, moving the still tired animal into his lap. "You can sit if you'd like," he offered.

"You're not going to put on a shirt?" Missy asked, a hint of discomfort in her voice.

"I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" Addison asked.

Zed sighed slowly. "I think I dislocated my shoulder or something, probably bruised my shoulder blade too. Either way, something hurts really really badly when I try to move my arms too much. Especially when I try to put on a shirt or anything like that."

Frankie yipped in his lap, turning his attention to the kitchen. "Or get the dog food on the top shelf." Zed sighed. He glanced over at Addison, who had been watching him quietly. Before he could say anything, she nodded and stood, picking the puppy from his lap and moving to the kitchen.

Chief Dale took the seat Addison had been in, leaning closer to Zed. "Zed, are you going to tell us what's going on? What happened to you?"

Both officials were shocked at the detail of humans harming Zombies, which wasn't a surprise. It was unspoken that Zombies never reported the hate crimes; it usually led to accusations of lies, more violence, or sometimes death. It was just easier to hide it then go through all of that. It was against Zed's better judgement to tell them anything, but he was too exhausted to put up a fight or come up with more excuses as to why he was in his current state.

It took a while to retell all the details to the Chief of Zombie Patrol, sometimes going back and clarifying parts so that Dale could write it down. Addison had stayed in the kitchen through the whole ordeal, getting the hint that Zed didn't want to see her while he explained the story. He was sure she was still listening though, if her tiny gasps in the silence were any hint.

"It usually happens when I'm going home after a game. Those run a lot later than practice, so it's nearly dark. No one's really out much either, I'm physically exhausted then too. I don't take the main roads, 'cause I'm not supposed to be out then anyway. I guess it makes me an easy target. The first time there were only two guys. I think one was a junior at school. It wasn't that bad though. Eliza's mom came and scared the crap out of them, she helped me get home. It was easy to hide, and I could still play. That was the Thursday before the Block Party."

"Before you got arrested," Missy supplied helpfully.

Zed nodded thoughtfully. "Two weeks after that—the week of the Regional Semifinals game—was the most recent encounter. It was more my fault than anything—it was already dark and I was using the alleyways to get home. I wasn't paying much attention to my surroundings either. I was really distracted, to be honest." He didn't mention it was because of the conversation he'd had with Addison at halftime, where he'd been rejected, when he'd lost his girlfriend over something so stupid.

Zed swallowed back the onslaught of emotion threatening to come up again. He wasn't going to cry again. They'd talked it over, they had kissed and made up.

He had nearly eaten her alive.

"One came behind me and held my arms back. Two came up in front. They were punching me and hitting me. I didn't have any fight in me. I…I honestly just felt like I deserved it. I'd been a bad person for a while, and they were saying all these things. It was long past curfew, so I doubted Zinnia—Eliza's Mom—would come to my rescue this time."

Missy came and sat beside him, offering her comfort. "They hit my face and my chest and my stomach. There were girls there too, saying a lot of really…really horrible things too. They were actually stronger than the guys. And once they had hit me enough where I couldn't even stand, they were just kicking me and throwing things at me—whatever they could find."

Frankie had come back into the room, dropping a chew toy at Zed's feet. Before Zed could pick it up, Missy had taken it and chucked it across the room, sending the dog running.

Zed went on with his story. "Some of them spit at me. They only stopped when my Z-Band went offline. The whole thing had cracks and damage, so it's been glitching for the past few days. They left me there. I was bleeding and I couldn't move and I just hurt all over so much.

"My dad didn't go looking for me at first because he figured I was at your house, like the last time. Then Friday afternoon, when I hadn't shown up, he had looked for me on the human side of the barrier. Then Rizzo and Mitzi—they live on the next block—found me on Saturday, and they took me to Zinnia. Zinnia worked in emergency medical care before the outbreak, so we usually go to her for any help.

"I stayed in her house until two days ago. I think I had broken ribs. I couldn't breath or stand up on my own legs. My left eye was swollen shut until yesterday. I didn't come home until yesterday either."

"That's terrible, Zed," Missy pointed out.

Zed nodded, ducking his head down. He didn't mention the times he'd dream of Addison, waking up crying and in pain. The sleepless nights where the pain was so intolerable he couldn't even think clearly. The hours he'd spent begging Eliza to keep his secret, to not tell a soul, not even Bonzo.

"Did you happen to see anyone's face?" Dale asked.

"There were eight people," Zed said. "I didn't see the one holding my arms, the three girls and two of the guys didn't come until I was on the ground, and I could vaguely see the others. But they were all shorter, so I could see more hair than face."

"That's unfortunate," Dale muttered. He looked at his wife, asking, "Can I see you in the kitchen, Hon?"

Missy nodded, getting up and following her husband to the kitchen. A second later, Addison came out, sitting beside Zed where her mother once was. Frankie came, dropping the toy by her feet. She threw it across the room, grinning as the puppy yipped happily and ran across the room.

Zed glanced at her at the same time she looked at him. Addison leaned over and kissed him, short and soft and gentle. Zed sat there, unable to respond to her affection, feeling the open gash on her lip pressing against his. It had stopped bleeding hours ago, but just the thought of it made his heart ache. He had nearly eaten her; he actually took a bite out of her lip.

Addison pulled back, pressing her forehead against his. She sighed as he cast his gaze down, staring at the bite. "Stop it," she whispered to him. "It's not your fault."

"I tried to eat you," he whispered back.

"That wasn't you," she told him. "You're not the same person, because you aren't a monster. You're Zed."

Zed leaned away from her, moving to leave a few inches between them. "I don't blame you, you shouldn't blame yourself." He didn't know how to say it, how to make her understand. He'd sworn to himself that he would do anything in his power to never eat anyone, to never be the monster he was made out to be. He'd rather die than give into his most primitive desire.

"Zed…"

Before she could continue, the front door opened and Zoey bounded in. "Puppy!" she shouted happily, embracing her dog in her arms. She gushed over how much she missed him for a few seconds, before noticing Addison and Zed sitting on the couch. Zoey shrieked, loud enough that Zed had to cover his ears, bouncing over to the couch and jumping up beside Addison.

"Addison I missed you!" she exclaimed, making the human laugh. Zoey looked at her brother, smiling brightly. "You're outta your room! I got to go to the treat box today! It's been a great day!"

* * *

Addison and her parents had ended up staying through dinner. The adults sat at the table while the teenagers and Zoey sat around the coffee table. Even though they were talking in hushed voices, Zed could still make out what they were saying, knowing enough that it was about him and the incident.

Chief Dale had given him a temporary fix for his Z-Band while he took Zed's to get repaired. It actually worked, keeping its steady rhythm instead of speeding up or completely stopping, sometimes randomly shocking him. It irritated his rash and his psyche, making him agitated and anxious.

When it had gotten dark and time for the humans to leave, Addison had said to him before she left, "Zed, I just wanted to let you know this before I left."

Zed raised an eyebrow at her, prodding her to go on. She wrung her fingers together. "Uh, I know you've got your demons, but everybody's got demons. And, if you'll let me, we can help get past them."

* * *

Zed had trouble falling asleep that night. To be fair, he had trouble sleeping most nights, so it wasn't a surprise that he didn't sleep again. Zed was mildly surprised though when his window was pulled up and Eliza crawled in. It was more like she tumbled through it, landing in a scrambled pile on the floor.

"Son of a bitch," she grumbled.

Zed sat up in bed, squinting at his best friend. He turned on his bedside lamp to see her better. "Eliza? What're you doing in my room?"

"I…uh," Eliza got off the ground, moving to sit in his desk chair. "I saw humans leaving your house several hours after curfew. Addison, I mean. I saw Addison, leaving. And also I saw her run out of class today, ignoring Mr. Quigley which she's never done before. I chased her to the entrance of the school—me and Bree did—but we had to go back to class. And she wasn't answering her phone, so I let the matter drop, but then I see her leaving here. What happened, Zed?"

"We talked," Zed stated.

Eliza grinned, rubbing her hands over her knees. "You guys got over your straight people bullshit, huh?"

Zed couldn't stop the smile coming to his face. "Yes we did," he told her. "I can safely say that we are boyfriend-girlfriend, and that things between us are gonna be okay."

"That's good," Eliza said. "Believe it or not, I missed the frosty haired human. She's like a toned down version of Bree, a much more manageable one. I mean, Bree is lovely. But Addison is just…Yeah."

Zed smiled, nodding along. "You're so very articulate."

"Shut up."


	12. storms are approaching (nowhere to hide)

**A/N:**

 **MAJOR TRIGGER WARNINGS here. This chapter ends with a suicide note.**

 **reviews for ch 11:**

 **Grace: I totally forgot I had them talking about something. Time to get creative (but ideas are always welcome).**

 **LoveShipper + Starlight623: Oh I couldn't do that. There's only so many assholes I can create in this story.**

 **Summary:** ** _And I know everyone always says it'll get better, but it won't. It never will. My stomach hurts worse and worse everyday. It feels like I'm being swallowed up by a black pit, lost in a raging ocean. If I say the wrong thing or wear the wrong outfit they'll throw me right over the side._**

 **This chapter (and the next) were inspired by a review written by keep-swinging.**

* * *

Things between Zed and Addison had improved significantly. Zed's health had improved greatly since; he went back to school the following Monday, and had gone back to practice a few days after that. By some miracle, Bucky had allowed them to have their party in the Cheer Lounge, one that had actually turned out pretty classy despite all the idiots that were there.

The Regional Final game went fairly well. It was an hour travel, and even though him and Addison were on different buses, they were still super giddy and lovey (much to the annoyance of Taylor and Bucky). Zed didn't play as much as he usually did, a downside to being physically attacked and incapacitated for as long as he was. They did end up winning, by two touchdowns.

Most people in Seabrook were still shocked that the football team had won any games, and now they were two games away from State Champions. The State Semifinals game had been scheduled for the week after Thanksgiving on their field.

Thanksgiving. The godforsaken holiday. Addison's family was coming to Seabrook, all except her grandparents. Her dad's parents lived in Maine but always had an excuse to not show up at Thanksgiving, and her mom's parents lived in Colorado and couldn't make the trip anymore.

That just left the rest of her horribly critical, extremely judgemental family.

"They can't be that bad," Bree told her. "You have tendencies to be over dramatic."

Addison gave her a look. "You're thinking of yourself, Bree."

"Oh yeah."

"They're all terrible," Addison went on. "Bucky's family is the most manageable one. Bucky is the nicest, friendliest in my entire family."

"Oh ouch," Bree sighed, shaking her head thoughtfully. "Well, at least it's your family. You've been doing this for fifteen years—"

"I'm still fourteen."

"Same diff." Bree stated in agitation. "Fourteen years, you can get through another one." The bell rang; Bree closed her locker, adjusting her bag on her shoulders. "And if you can't, you're always welcome at my place."

Addison nudged her shoulder, giving her what appeared to be a happy grin. "Thanks Bree, that's really sweet of you."

Eliza came up beside them, saying cheekily, "I know, I'm awesome."

* * *

"So," Mr. Quigley started, "two days before Thanksgiving break. And I bet none of you want a new assignment."

There was a collection of agreement throughout the room.

"How about instead, we spend the next two classes talking about Thanksgiving," he offered. "It'll be fun, guys. We can explore the differences between all of us and our Thanksgiving traditions."

Everyone was a lot less excited at that. Mr. Quigley went on as though he hadn't just crushed nineteen students' hopes of two free periods. "Any volunteers?" When no one said anything or made a move to go, he sighed. "I guess I'll start."

Mr. Quigley got up from his chair, moving to the center of the room. "I'm Harold Quigley, forty-two. Every Thanksgiving, my family and I go to Pennsylvania to see the rest of the family. It's mostly my significant other's family we go see, considering my family is closer to Seabrook than theirs. We bring most of the desserts, their family brings most everything else. We sit around the table, catching up on everyone's lives. Then we hit the major malls for Black Friday."

He rocked on the balls of his feet awkwardly. "So, uh, anyone wanna go? Or do I have to make this a grade?"

From beside her, Eliza stood up. "I'll go," she announced. "I'm Eliza, if you didn't know. And Zombies don't ever celebrate major holidays. We couldn't even eat meat until a few weeks ago. So on Thanksgiving, my and a few of my friends—Zed and Bonzo—we open Zombie Daycare. All the adult Zombies work forever long on major holidays. They do the jobs humans don't want to do because it's a holiday. We watch all the kid Zombies for hours and hours. Zed and Bonzo make food for all of us, we play games and watch movies. And then we eat all the pie the grocery stores were planning on throwing out."

It was probably one of the most depressing things Addison had heard. Besides her rude and harsh family, Thanksgiving was one of her favorite holidays. And, like most things, Zombies didn't get to celebrate.

Eliza sat down and a second later someone across the room stood. They went on like that for a while, most of the class going. Mr. Quigley had definitely underestimated the class's storytelling abilities. Addison had resigned herself to sitting quietly in her seat, hoping he wouldn't notice she didn't go or that the bell would ring before her turn came.

Addison wasn't last, considering she hadn't heard at least four other people—including Bree. But, when there was six minutes left, Mr. Quigley had looked at her expectantly. "Care to share, Addison?" he asked.

She didn't, but she was already on thin ice for running out of the room a few weeks before. Addison slid out of her chair, addressing the class. "Hey, I'm Addison. My aunt and uncle—Bucky's parents—run practically every family event we have. So at Christmas, they do some weird adult thing to decide who's hosting Thanksgiving the next year. This year it's at my house. We all bring food; my dad and I usually make the turkey and the ham. We sit around a big table for dinner but it's kinda like a intimate get together for the majority of the day."

Addison didn't mention the jabs they'd make about her hair or about how she had to do everything just right to be as perfect as Bucky or Raina or Nicholas or Christian or Anthony or Michael. How no matter what she did, something was always wrong and she was always a disappointment. She didn't want to kill the mood.

"Thank you Addison," Mr. Quigley stated, signaling to let her sit down. "Only a few minutes left, though not enough for another testimony. So the rest of you will go tomorrow." It was quiet for a second before he added, "Converse amongst yourselves until the bell."

Eliza was the first to talk between the three of them. She turned to them with a sly smile on her face. "So Bonzo tells me you guys went to a movie last weekend."

Addison knew she should be happy at that. Eliza and Bree had spent a good deal of time teasing her about her relationship with Zed. She'd been waiting for the day that she could do the same to them. And now that it was here, she just didn't feel anything. In fact, she felt a little hollow inside.

Addison rarely got excited about things anymore. Even going on dates felt a little brain numbing and empty. She would just plaster on a smile and put on an act to avoid any suspicion. And if anyone noticed, no one said anything.

Like most times, she put on a smile and turned to her friend. "How was it, Bree? Was it everything you hoped for?"

"You guys," Bree said in a whiny voice. "It was fine, okay. That's all you need to know."

"Oh secretive," Eliza said with a grin. "I guess I'm just gonna have to pester Bonzo for all the details."

"I guess you will." Bree stated. "How about you? Any romantic advances your way?"

"Yeah," Addison said, rejoining the conversation. "Zed told me how some guys on the team kept asking about you."

Eliza just smiled uncomfortably. "Those guys are arrogant jackasses," she stated with a short laugh. "Plus, I don't really care much about…romance and shit. So let's just drop it."

Bree leaned forward and whispered to Addison, "Someone's a bit touchy."

* * *

Thanksgiving was one of the most important holidays in Addison's family. It was the one day when everyone would come and be passive aggressive about each other's lives. And it would be the first time that her family—aside from her parents, Bucky, and his parents—would learn that she had stopped wearing her wig.

"Maybe…maybe I should put it on," she said. "Just for the holiday."

"Are you kidding?" Zed asked. "You can't just give into the…the patriarchy."

Addison gave him a look. "I don't think you used that right."

"You know what I mean," he said in exasperation. "You can't put the wig back on. You can't keep hiding yourself to please others. You need to do what makes _you_ happy, even if your family will hate you for it. 'Cause at the end of the day, it's your life, Addy. Not theirs."

' _It's not as easy as you'd think_.'

She nodded in understanding, sighed and leaned against his chest. Zed rested his chin on top of her head comfortably, a cozy warmth spreading through her.

"It'd be better if you came," she told him. "No offense or anything, but their hate and anger would be more directed at you being there than my hair."

It was Zed's turn to sigh. It was probably the fourth time it had come up in conversation since Monday, and every time he'd say: "I'd come if I could. But Thanksgiving is like, my biggest source of income."

"It doesn't hurt to dream," she pointed out. "If you ever get a chance, could you stop by?" She pulled back to look up at him, giving her best puppy eyes. "For me, not for them. I'm gonna miss your face."

"I'm gonna miss yours," he countered, leaning down to kiss her softly.

"Fucking Christ, it's two days," Eliza muttered from beside them.

Zed just rolled his eyes, kissing Addison again. "Bell's gonna ring soon. Let me walk you home."

"You don't have to."

"But I want to," he countered.

Ten minutes later, as they neared Addison's house, Zed pulled her into an alleyway. His expression was serious, as if he were about to swear her into a gang (she's not really sure how that stuff works, but it felt right).

"Addison, if you feel like you need to leave tomorrow, you can come by the Daycare," he told her. "I don't think it'd be good if you stayed there while they just disrespect you. You're always welcome to come if you need an out."

Addison smiled sadly. The fact that she needed an escape from her own family was depressing as is. Add in that she was already planning her excuses for leaving dinner early.

"Thank you," she told him earnestly. "I love you."

"You'll be great anyway," he told her. "You're the strongest person I know."

* * *

 _Today is Thanksgiving. It's a huge holiday in my family. And it's very stressful. My whole life, all they've done is make me feel like human garbage. Like a freak, who no one would ever accept. I feel like Elsa, from Frozen. Conceal. Put on a show. Don't let them in. Don't let them see. Be the good girl you always have to be. Make one wrong move and everyone will know._

 _And it's hurt me, a lot. More than I've ever let on. It eats me inside, knowing that I'm such a freak, such a monster that not even my own family will ever accept me. I'm not strong at all. I'm a burden. They always say 'no one will ever love you, or ever willingly spend time with you if they knew the truth'._

 _They're right. The only friend I have is just as weird as I am, actually even less. At least Bree is normal. Bucky only hangs out with me because we're related and he has to. My own boyfriend lies to me. My own family tells me constantly how freakish I am._

 _And I know everyone always says it'll get better, but it won't. It never will. My stomach hurts worse and worse everyday. It feels like I'm being swallowed up by a black pit, lost in a raging ocean. If I say the wrong thing or wear the wrong outfit they'll throw me right over the side._

 _I cry practically everyday. Since I was a little kid all I've wanted to do was just die. And I can't do this anymore. It hurts and it's not fair to me or anyone else. I'm a burden, and life would just be easier for everyone if I just wasn't around._

 _This is my final testament. My final words to the world. Give all my cheer stuff to Zoey Necrodopolus. She deserves the world. Donate my clothes and shoes to charity. Any money I have give to the Organization of Zombie Advancement. Anything else I own, give to charity._

 _Six months ago, I had a bad concussion and was prescribed really strong painkillers. 400 mg ibuprofen. There are exactly 22 left in the bottle. That's 8,800 mg. After today, there won't be any left._

 _This life has been the absolute worst. I finally feel free. I feel like everyone around will finally be happy without having to deal with me._

 _Signed,_

 _Addison_


	13. don't let me drown

**A/N: Here we are, the chapter everyone has been waiting for: Chapter 13. Such an unlucky number. So well fitting. MAJOR trigger warnings for attempted/almost suicide.**

 **Summary: "** ** _it's 'cause you all make Addison feel like crap. It's why she used to come to me crying night after night since she was four. It's why I took away her scissor privileges when she was eight because she was trying to hurt herself. I had to convince her six different times not to run away."_**

* * *

Zed wasn't as good at sneaking away as he let on. He was barely at the door when Eliza called to him, "Where do you think you're going?"

"Um, Addison asked me to go over," he told her. "I figured I could stop by for a little. Hopefully get some dessert or something."

"Really?" Eliza asked unbelievingly, arching an eyebrow. "You're going into Seabrook, this close to sundown?" Zed nodded. "Did you forget about curfew? Or the fact that Addison's family _hates_ Zombies?"

"Well it's a good thing I'm going to see Addison, not her family."

Eliza whistled lowly. "Someone's caught an attitude," she pointed out.

Zed shrugged, turning to shove his papers in his backpack. "I might not come back before curfew," he told her. "I might end up staying at Addy's place, so can you make sure Zoey gets home okay?"

Eliza nodded. "Tell Addison I say hi."

"Of course, see ya."

* * *

Zed was aware of the tension between Addison and her family. He figured that if he showed up, all attention would leave her and her hair and move onto him being there. Of course there was the possibility that she'd get more heat for dating a Zombie, but that was a pretty big 'if' (he was hoping, at least).

If all else failed, he brought some drawings as thank you cards the kids had made that day so they could go through them together. It was something he and his friends typically did, to see if there was anything to give to actual people or anything. The little drawings tended to make people happy, which was a small bright spot this time of year.

Addison's house is a familiar walk; he's done it so many times he doesn't check the streets anymore. Addison had told him earlier that day that the front door would be locked and if he were to come to go around back into the backyard, where everyone would be. Unfortunately, the latch to the gate was on the inside, so his only two options were knocking on the gate and hoping someone heard over the loud music and chatting, or climbing over the gate which he wasn't against (thought Addison definitely wouldn't like it).

Ultimately he decided to knock and wait a few minutes before resorting to climbing the fence. Zed stood on the outside of the gate, listening to the music and the few voices he could hear. He didn't recognize most of the voices but could hear when Addison's name came up in conversation. It happened in pretty much every conversation he could hear, from her hair to cheerleading and her hair and her recent behavior and her hair and her boyfriend who no one had met _and her hair_. It was like all they could talk about was her hair. It got under his skin to the point of no belief.

The fence was six feet tall, which meant if he stood on his toes he could see over it (the advantage of being 6'2"). It was a very intimate gathering; most people were crowded closer to the house which explained why no one heard his knocking. A lot of them were standing, and in the dim lighting Zed could see his girlfriend sitting quietly at the end of the table. When he strained his hearing he swore he could pick up on her sniffling.

Addison dropped her head on the table and started to cry. Zed could only hear her quiet tears thanks to his keen Zombie-hearing—probably the only time he was actually thankful for it. He was less thankful considering his girlfriend—the person he loved the _most_ in the world—was sitting at a table surrounded by her family crying because they were bashing everything about her life.

Like a flipped switch Addison stood up abruptly. She made it clear she was moving by forcing her chair to scratch hard on the patio floor. Everyone turned and looked at her, all conversation coming to a halt.

"Are you crying?" one of the male cousins asked.

"You don't care," Addison snapped. "You're just asking so you can embarrass me; so you can make me feel like a freak even more."

This time Bucky spoke. "What're you talking about, Addison? Of course we care."

"Bullshit." Her voice is thick and heavy (seeing as she's still crying). It's the first time Zed's ever heard her curse, and it seems like it's everyone else's too. "Who could care about a freak like me? I-I'm just a burden that none of you want around."

"Addison—"

"I'm not finished talking," she said, cutting off Bucky again. "But it's not like you care. You just…you kicked me off their cheer team because I was a freak. You all made me feel like I was a monster. Like I was absolute dirt. My entire life. I had to change who I was because _you_ thought I wouldn't fit in."

Addison took a deep breath. She turned on her heels, walking briskly to the patio door. Zed could hear her talking to herself, repeating 'Shut up' over and over. Just as she pulled the door open he decided now was the time to intervene.

He did his best to be seen over the fence, then shouted "Addison!" Everyone looked back at him, including Addison. She didn't smile or even seem to lighten or soften at the sight of him. She just shook her head, going inside and practically slamming the door behind herself.

Bucky ran over and unlocked this gate. He looked at Zed worriedly. "What's wrong with her? What'd you do?"

"Why do you think I did something?" Zed asked. "I haven't seen her since yesterday. What did _you_ do?"

A girl—Raina, who was the only girl cousin Addison had—walked over and asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm her boyfriend," Zed stated. "Is no one going to check on Addison?"

Raina rolled her eyes. "She's just a moody teenager. Shit happens."

"Addison never, _ever_ , curses," Zed stated.

Raina just shrugged. It was apparent she wasn't as concerned as Zed was. Zed jogged over to the patio door, where Addison's parents and aunts and uncle were trying to wrench the door open. One of the aunts—tall with dark hair, probably Dale's sister—turned and looked at him with an expression of complete disgust.

"What is a _Zombie_ doing here? It's after curfew!"

Dale ignored her, instead saying to Zed, "Addison locked us out. I think something's wrong."

"Move over," Zed told them. He didn't know what was going on with Addison. It wasn't the first time she'd acted strange, especially recently. He's heard her talking to herself, saying 'shut up' to herself and looking lost and distressed and on the verge of breaking down.

The adults backed away from the door. Everyone watched as Zed moved a few feet back, then charged at the door, knocking it off its hinges and rolling into the house. He got up quickly, already making his way for the stairs. If anything, Addison would've gone to her room—it was where everything she owned was, and if she was planning on heading to Bree's she'd need to take an overnight bag with her.

Zed doesn't need to turn around to know that her family is following him. He's also got a few splinters in the parts of him that hit the door, but he's a little more focused on finding Addison than pieces of wood in his skin.

Her room is more messy than usual. She's got drawers overturned and school supplies thrown around everywhere. The top of her dresser has empty pills bottles spilled all over it. It was like she had thrown apart her room to find something…

Realization dawns on Zed before anyone else. He runs over to her bathroom door, trying the knob and finding it locked. "Addison!" Zed screamed, pounding on the wood.

He pressed his ear against the door, hearing her whispering to herself, "…it won't. It never will. My stomach hurts worse and worse everyday." She sniffed before continuing, her voice choked and choppy like she was still crying. It feels like I'm being swallowed up by a black pit, lost in a raging ocean. If I say the wrong thing or wear the wrong outfit they'll throw me right over the side."

"What's going on?" Missy demanded, running up to the door.

Zed pounded on the wood again furiously. "Addison open the door!" he screamed again, barely hearing the low growl.

Addison is still going on the other side of the door. "Since I was a little kid all I've wanted to do was just die. And I can't do this anymore. It hurts and it's not fair to me or anyone else. I'm a burden, and life would just be easier for everyone if I just wasn't around."

"Addison," her mother whispered sadly. It's like she's already given up the fight, like there's no hope left.

For a sick second, Zed empathized with her. Addison was miserable everyday of her life. It wasn't fair to Addison to be forced to live a life she hated. The world was cruel and mean and sick; it didn't deserve to get to treat people like monsters.

Then he remembered that this was Addison. The girl who had gotten him, a Zombie, on the football team that was now on its way to States. The girl who had gotten Zombies and humans together. Who had changed the world with a pair of pompoms and her smile. She hadn't given up on him and he wasn't giving up on her.

"Addison!" he called again. His voice cracked under the strain from the crying. "D-don't do this Addy. Open the door, please."

There was no way she couldn't hear him. Yet, she carried on with writing her suicide note. "This life has been the absolute worst. I finally feel free. I feel like everyone around will finally be happy without having to deal with me. Signed, Addison."

The room went quiet for a second, the sound of her voice and the pen on paper fading. Then his ears picked up on the unscrewing of a bottle cap. Zed felt his heart drop in his chest as he realized what was going to happen.

Zed wordlessly pushes Missy away from the door, barely preparing himself before ramming his side into the wood like he'd done downstairs. It took three tries before the door flew open, just in time for Zed to see her throw back the contents of the pill container.

There's a collective gasp throughout the room. "No!" Zed shouted reflexively, rushing towards Addison. He wrapped his arms around her torso, his momentum pulling them both to the ground. Addison said something he couldn't understand, due to the mouthful of pills she hadn't yet swallowed.

"Addy, you gotta spit 'em out," he said, holding a hand out in front of her mouth.

She shook her head. What she said next was a little easier to understand: "If I spit it out you'll throw them away so I can't kill myself."

"Well no duh. I don't...I can't lose you, Addy."

"I make your life so much more difficult."

Zed shook his head at that. "You make my life _so_ much more worthwhile."

Addison said something he couldn't understand. She was crying still, her eyes screwed shut as she refused to look at Zed.

Even though he didn't know what she had said, he could figure out what he needed to say. "Your life matters. Not just to me, but to so many other people." Zed said. "Zoey looks up to you, so much. You're her role model. And you're Bree's best friend; you're the first person to give her a chance at Seabrook. You're the main reason that the barriers aren't closed all the time, that we can still go to school with humans. It's because of you, and life would be a living hell without you."

Slowly, Addison opened her mouth and let the pills fall out and into Zed's waiting hand. He leaned back, letting the contents of his hand fall into the toilet. When he straightened Addison lurched forward, clutching at his shirt and sobbing into his side.

Zed held her flush against him, his arms caging her in and his cheek resting against her hair. She was sobbing and he was crying, both of them holding each other like they were anchors for the other. Zed couldn't believe how the day had turned out, how Addison had almost killed herself. It was all so overwhelming.

"Don't go, Zed," she sobbed into his chest. "Don't go _please._ "

Zed held her tighter, rubbing her back gently. "I'm not going anywhere," he whispered. "You're not getting rid of me."

* * *

"Are we all just going to ignore the elephant in the room?"

Raina, Bucky's older sister, nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Since when did we let Zombies roam around? Seabrooks's really changed since I left."

Bucky gaped at her, and the rest of his family who agreed with Raina (everyone except Addison's parents, who were still upstairs in her room). "You all better be thankful that Zed showed up when he did," Bucky stated. "If he wasn't here than neither would Addison. He saved her life."

"He's a Zombie."

Bucky scoffed at that. "He's the only one here who truly loves Addison for who she is," he stated. "Human or Zombie, he loves her more than life itself, more than any of you."

Bucky's mom was the most affected by his words. "All we've ever done is what's best for her."

"That's bullshit."

His parents, along with everyone else, gasped at his vulgar language. "Benedict Arthur Davis," his mother scrutinized.

Bucky grimaced at the use of his full name.

"Who's up there with Addison? Not you guys, it's Zed. Did he mention any of you ever? No, and it's 'cause you all make Addison feel like crap. It's why she used to come to me crying night after night since she was four. It's why I took away her scissor privileges when she was eight because she was trying to hurt herself. I had to convince her six different times not to run away. And I'll admit, I haven't been nice to her about it. But Zed deserves more than for you to just undermine him because he's a Zombie. He saved her life. Does that mean nothing to you?"

On that note, Bucky opened the freezer and pulled out a gallon of (vanilla) ice cream then headed up the stairs, back to Addison's room. He was sick of being the bad guy; he wasn't going to stand for it any longer. Even if everyone disagreed, he wasn't turning his back on Addison.

* * *

 **A/N: So uh, leave a review?**

 **You didn't think I'd really kill off Addison, did you? She's my favorite character. She just needed that moment of breaking down. This isn't the end of it, either. Probably two or three more chapters before there's a nice time jump to January (or February, considering I don't really plan these chapters out much).**

 **So enjoy. I didn't respond to review for last chapter because…**

 **Leave a review! I love them, I read them all! Any ideas for after New Years (the second half of their freshmen year), summer, sophomore year, etc, are all welcomed!**


	14. we're on our way

**Let's reply to some reviews from chapter 12 and 13! A lot of the reviews for chapter twelve consisted of people screaming (in written form) for Addy to not kill herself. Hopefully this chapter here sheds some light on her healing process, at least a little bit.**

 **Chapter 13, also a lot of consistent reviews that were all along the same ideas. I loved and read all of them, here are a few special ones I felt needed a shout-out.**

 **LoveShipper , Starlight623 , And preciouslittletoonette (also welcome to the fandom!) originally it was going to end without Bucky's part but then it just happened and I'm glad it did. With it, I feel like I can explore so much now with this little Segway.**

 **Grace: I love love _love_ your idea which I will probably/definitely use in utter chapters (probably the next few). **

**Now without further ado, I give you chapter 14: We're on our way**

 **Summary:** _The kiss was to make a point to everyone there but Zed didn't mind it much. It had been over twenty-four hours since he'd last seen Addison, which was the longest time they'd spent apart since the breakup._

 **Warnings: this chapter directly follows the previous and thus has suicidal themes.**

* * *

They eat ice cream on the bathroom floor. Addison is still wrapped in her boyfriend's arms, sitting in his lap and shying away from the conversation. She made it clear she didn't want to talk about it—not yet at least—so Zed is leading the conversation, talking about the Zombie Daycare. Missy and Dale are seated on the edge of the bathtub and Bucky is sitting cross legged on the counter.

When the ice cream finished and Zed concluded his story, they all gave wary, expectant looks at Addison. "You gotta tell us what's going on with you," Zed told her.

"We all really, really care," Bucky added. "I mean, it's me, Bucky. We used to play together and have sleepovers. You'd tell me about all your little nine year old crushes and I held the spare key to your secrets box. We were really close, Addy."

"Yeah," she sighed sadly. "Then you got to high school and everything changed. You barely even talked to me. You were like-like this untouchable god or whatever, and everything had to be perfect for you."

Addison turned to look up at him, her eyes shining with tears. "When I was seven, you told me that whoever didn't like me because I was a little different wasn't worth my time. Then, when you went to high school, you acted exactly like that. And you made me feel like it was my fault too."

"I have to give it to you though," she went on. "You've changed a lot. I think it's because of the Zombies. They helped you realize that being different wasn't as horrible as you thought it was. You've been like the Bucky when we were younger recently. I'm really happy about that."

"It doesn't change how I feel," she added. "You hurt me a lot. I don't think I'll ever forget all the things you said and did to me. It hurt me a lot. If we weren't family I would've removed you from my social circle, because you were such a huge dick."

Her parents gasp softly at the language but don't say anything of it. "That's all I have to say to you, Bucky," she said. She turned back into Zed, taking in a deep breath before glancing at her parents. "I-I want to talk with you guys too." She gave Bucky a look and added, "In private."

Bucky, catching the hint, got down from the counter. He grabbed the empty containers and collected the spoons, heading to the door.

Addison pulled away from Zed and sighed resentfully. "You gotta go too," she told him. Addison leaned up to whisper in his ear, "Don't go too far, please. It won't be long hopefully."

Zed nodded, leaned in and kissed her cheek. "I'll be with Bucky downstairs," he told her. "Holler if you need me, Gorgeous."

* * *

Every conversation stopped once Zed entered the room. They all stared, which isn't such a great feeling. He kept his head down, following Bucky to the kitchen where they dumped the spoons and empty cartons.

Bucky's sister broke the silence first. "So you're the boyfriend?"

Zed looked up at her, seeing that they were all staring at him. He gave them a kind, charismatic smile. "Yeah, I'm Zed."

"How'd you meet?" one of the boys on her dad's side—from his tiny curls and ear piercings Zed guessed it was Nick—asked.

Zed omitted the part in the Safe Room, instead starting with, "She was a cheerleader and I'm on the football team."

Nick's older brother Chris, who looked nearly identical to him minus the curls, grinned at that. "Necrodopolus? The star of the Seabrook High football team?"

"I-I'm not the star," Zed said humbly. "There's sixteen other guys on the team, and we all do our parts to win."

"You've had a perfect season," Chris stated.

"He was cheating half the time," Raina added.

"I wasn't cheating," Zed corrected. "If I were cheating we wouldn't qualify for any finals. I was using my natural talents, bestowed upon birth, which is allowed."

Raina pulled a face at that. It was like she was trying her hardest to make all of them hate him. "You nearly ate my brother."

"Get over it," Bucky groaned. "I did."

Nick and Chris were more interested in Zed and the football than the upcoming family feud. "What position do you play?" Nick asked.

"Fullback. Sometimes I go in as linebacker." Then, he added, "Though the last time I did I nearly died of heatstroke." Zed added a laugh so that they knew it was okay to laugh.

"When's your next game?" Chris asked.

"Semifinals are next Friday," Zed said. "It's a home game. You guys should come." He didn't actually mean they should come, it was just something he said to everyone to be courteous.

"Maybe," Chris said. "It'd be cool to see my two baby cousins cheering for once. Actually live and not just some video on YouTube where a bunch of Zombies overshadow the real beauty."

"I'm not a cheerleader," Addison said as she walked into the kitchen.

Zed glanced up at her, noting she had changed out of her baby blue dress into a pair of pajama shorts and—"Is that my shirt?" Zed asked.

Addison nodded as she walked over. "C'mon," she told him.

She grabbed his hand and turned back to the stairs. "Goodnight everyone," she said offhandedly.

"What do you mean goodnight?" one of the aunts asked.

"It means I'm going to bed."

"With a Zombie? Don't those things carry diseases?"

Addison turned around to look at Zed. He did his best to hide his hurt look but knew she'd seen it. Addison leaned down and kissed him, soft and gentle. It was only a few seconds and Zed knew she still had so much pent up anger and depression bottled up inside herself.

The kiss was to make a point to everyone there but Zed didn't mind it much. It had been over twenty-four hours since he'd last seen Addison, which was the longest time they'd spent apart since the breakup.

They went upstairs and to her room, where Addison's parents were cleaning her room. Or rather, they were finished cleaning her room and heading out as they came in. They said their good nights then Addison closed the door behind her parents.

"I'm glad you came tonight," Addison stated. She sat down on her bed, patting the spot next to her for him.

"As am I," Zed said, sitting down beside her. Addison gave him a small smile, leaned up and pressed her lips against his softly.

"All I could think about this morning was what you were doing," she said. "I was tempted to go find your Zombie Daycare, but then I remembered I have no idea where it is so…"

Zed grinned. "It's in the Zombie high school, which is just an old school from the fifties because we can't be in the classrooms."

"Zoey told stories about you for several hours," Zed added. "There were so many pictures of my beautiful girlfriend during coloring time. I'd show you but Eliza and Bonzo have most of them."

Addison sighed, leaning against him. "Gar garziga," she said quietly.

Zed wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. They laid back onto the bed, cuddling against each other.

"You know you're saying it wrong?"

"No I'm not."

Zed laughed heartily. "Zombie tongue is my first language, how are you gonna tell me?"

Addison looked up at him with a sly grin. "Then what's that mean?"

"Gar garziga means 'love' or 'affection'. When you wanna say I love you you need to say every individual word." Zed explained. He shrugged with a smirk. "It's okay though. You're very cute when you try to speak Zombie."

"When'd you learn English?" she asked suddenly.

"When I was eight," Zed said. He sighed slowly. "Seven years ago. It was so hard, learning English. There are still words I don't know."

"I didn't know English was your second language."

Zed kissed the top of her head and rubbed her arm. "We've had to speak English for several years, you never would guess that Zombie tongue is our first language."

Addison just sighed softly. She turned her face into his chest, breathed in his smell before sitting up to look at him. "I asked my parents if I could see someone," she said. Zed nodded along. "Like…a therapist or something." He nodded again. Addison looked at him worriedly. "What…what do you think about that?"

"Me?"

Addison nodded. "I care what you think," she said. "Gar garziga, and all that. Or really it's 'I gar garziga you'. Your opinion matters, is what I mean to say."

"Well," Zed started. "I…I want what's best for you. I don't want to come over and have to do what I did tonight, ever again. I don't want you to feel like killing yourself is the only option you have left. If you think that talking to someone—seeing a specialist—will help, then I completely support your decision."

Addison nodded slowly. She laid down again, curling into his side. "I might end up staying in a mental hospital for longer than you'd think. A few days, maybe. What I'm saying is, we might be apart for a long time."

"As long as it takes," Zed said. "So long as you get better. I want you to be happy, to be healthy, to be Addison."


	15. life without you

**A/N: Ah, back here again. Back to back updates, who saw this coming? Give some love to my beta, Angelina (she's amazing). Enjoy this chapter with is, again, from Zed's POV.**

 **Summary:** _Not having Addison around is weird. Zed threw himself into his schoolwork, actually getting a head on his assignments and taking diligent notes (more for Addison than anything). He worked harder in practice than he had before—he had to be forced to take a break so he didn't overheat again. He was only thrown off by her absence at the Semifinals game. She's always_ there _, grinning and cheering him on from the sidelines. It felt wrong to him to play without her being there._

* * *

"Where's Addison?"

"Doctor," Bucky answered, _way_ to quickly. It was like he was hiding something—he was obviously hiding something, actually. He didn't meet Zed's eyes and he seemed nervous, which never happened.

"Is she coming to school today?" Bree asked.

Bucky shook his head. "She's…she's going on a trip with my sister. A girls' trip. No idea when they'll be back; no one would tell me. Oh well."

He walked away before any more questions could be asked, leaving a very baffled group of freshmen. "That was weird," Eliza stated. She glanced at Bree, tilted her head and asked, "Did she ever go to your house on Thanksgiving?"

Bree shook her head. "I figured things had gone fine. Plus she texted me on Friday saying that things were okay."

They all looked at Zed, knowing he had been the last of them to see her. Zed shrugged cluelessly.

Over the weekend, Addison had checked into the psychiatric hospital in Shoreside (Seabrook was too "perfect" to need one). And she was going to stay there until further notice, no visitors unless approved. It was the rules at the Shoreside Pediatric Psychiatry Center.

Addison had asked for no one to mention it to their friends. No one meaning him and Bucky, who were the only people besides her parents who knew. Zed wasn't even sure why he had been told; sure, they had been practically attached at the hip for two days since Thanksgiving, he hadn't left her house until Saturday afternoon, when he remembered he had a lot of homework and he had to babysit his sister and her friends for her sleepover.

Addison not being around was weird. It was also extremely hard for Zed. He got through the first day of school without incident. All it took was throwing all his energy into his work; he worked extra hard in his classes, taking diligent notes (which was more for Addison since they had almost all the same classes) and using his free time to do his homework. And then he worked harder in football than he had before. Taylor had to force him to take a break, so as to not overheat again.

The energy high faded after State Semifinals passed. He hadn't performed well at all. Zed would look over at the sidelines for Addison, because she was _always_ there. Even when they were broken up she was still there, smiling and cheering and supporting the team. Every game he's ever played, she had been at. Her not being there really messed up his game.

Coach had taken him out during the second half because of his drops and fumbles. They ended up winning (obviously) but it was by one extra point. Everyone on the team noticed Zed's distraction, and knew it was because of Addison's absence.

When Missy and Dale came by his house on Saturday, Zed was half expecting Addison to be with them or for them to say he could go see her (at the least). To his disappointment, there's no updates on Addison.

Instead, Missy and Dale and his dad sit him down in the kitchen for a serious conversation. "We have several things to discuss with you, Zed," Missy started. "Firstly, we'd like to assure you that we at City Council received yours and Eliza's list of short term fixes in the Zombie community. We'll pull you two out of school within the next few weeks to go over it all with the entire council."

Zed nodded along. He was only listening enough for it to not seem rude. He couldn't stop thinking about Addison, and all the horror movies he's seen with "psych wards" torturing their patients and shit.

"Since you brought to light the unethical hate crimes against Zombies, the Zombie Patrol has taken it up to reach out and find the total number of Zombies attacked since January first," Dale added. "The number is…it's horrible, but it's not very surprising. We've apprehended nineteen suspects for four different cases, including four from your own case. We thought you'd like to know, and it is requested you go and identify as many as you can."

Okay, that sounded like good news. It was like the sunshine in his cloudy day (or days, to be specific). And going to court would be…it'd be an experience, to say the least.

"Yeah," Zed said. "I can do that. Just tell me when."

The adults around the table nodded along, Missy flipping to a new page. "Now, onto the business we came here for. How old are you and when is your birthday?"

"I'm fifteen," Zed said. "Sixteen on March sixth."

"How interested would you be in being the first Zombie to drive?" Dale asked.

"Considering you're the oldest of purebred Zombies."

Zed made a face at the mayor's words. He knew what she meant, but the way she worded it was just horrible. "Bonzo's older than me," he noted. "He was born in January."

"Yes but he's autistic," Missy explained. It was a pretty lousy excuse. "He'll be our second candidate, but the board wants to try it on you. You're in perfect physical and mental health, your of legal age to learn to drive, and you're the unofficial public face of teenage Zombies."

Dale leaned over and said with a grin, "Your little sister is the unofficial public face of Zombie integration."

"Well…" Zed glanced over at his dad for confirmation, who nodded in agreement and excitement. "Sure, I guess."

"That is great!" Missy exclaimed. She scribbled in her binder quickly. "You can take the permit test in January or February, but you won't be allowed to start driving practice until your annual Z-Band check on your birthday."

"Obviously."

Zed laughed a little awkwardly with the humans.

"Can I ask you guys something?" he asked. They nodded, leaning forward to listen intently. "Um, can Zombies shop for their own clothes? Me and Zoey, we need new winter clothes. She's been wearing the same coat since she was three and it doesn't fit anymore."

Zevon nodded in agreement. "Her teacher's sent home a few notes asking we provide her a coat, and we just can't," Zevon explained.

"I've also grown out of a lot of my clothes," Zed chimed in. "A lot of my pants don't reach my ankles. I don't have any tops that fit completely."

The humans looked at each other with a loss for words. Zed didn't care much about himself and more for Zoey. The first time the note came in the teacher had provided Zoey with a coat left in the lost and found. And the Z-Patrol had taken it away almost immediately, saying she was out of uniform. The second note came when Zoey had gone to the nurse when her Z-Band warned her she was close to hypothermia. Then they had been called in for a parent-teacher conference for the coming Monday.

"We…we will discuss it with the council," Missy decided.

It sounded like it wasn't important enough, though. Zed added, "Every year on average twenty-three Zombies die of hypothermia. Seventy-four percent are under ten. Something's gotta change."

Addison's parents seemed mildly surprised at Zed's statistic. "Oh I've got a whole textbook full of stats like that, if you're interested," he added. "We spent a lot of time in Zombie-only school figuring out them, based off of report sheets obtained from Containment. And we only got the ones they were willing to make public, so there could be a lot more Zombies dying from lack of proper care. Considering everything that comes to us goes through Containment, I'm guessing that falls on your shoulders."

It was tense for a minute. Then the front door opened and Zoey, Eliza, and Puppy came inside. Zed puts on a grin for his little sister, getting out of his chair to greet them all. He picked up his little sister and spun her around, her presence this Saturday morning is the bright spot of his week.

"How was the walk?" Zed asked.

"It was amazing!" Zoey said excitedly. "Puppy tried to chase two squirrels and a pizza guy, and Paizley gave me a bunch of craft supplies and invited me over for her and Bonzo's abstract art session today."

Zed grinned and let her down. "That's awesome, but you have to ask first remember?"

Zoey nodded quickly, moving past him and into the kitchen. He looked at Eliza, grinning at her slight smile.

In a hushed voice Eliza asked, "Does Addison's parents being here have anything to do with where she is? Because I know you're lying to me."

"I'm not lying." (He's definitely lying.) "And no it doesn't." (The truest thing he's said to her about the matter).

Eliza tapped her nose with a grin. "You're bad at lying," she said. "But, because Addison is so cute, I'll let it slide."

* * *

 **A/N: So this is super short (sorry not sorry). I posted the two back to back cause they're both really short. Don't worry, because chapter 16 will be extra long. I'm aiming for at least 4500 words (I can go higher if I want, though).**

 **So leave your thoughts, I guess? Reviews are welcome. Chapter 16 is in the works and is from Addison's POV again.**

 **Reviews make my day and may help me to write more. Just saying (wink wink).**


	16. stop crying i love you

**A/n: Trigger warnings? I mean I guess so. Not as hard as previous chapters but still.**

 **I dunno, did you guys like it when I responded to reviews on here? I kinda forget to very often. And I also take forever to update.**

 **Summary:** _ **They stared at each other like it was the first time they'd ever met. Wordlessly and quickly they move toward each other. Addison wrapped her arms around his middle, folding into his comforting hug. Zed let out a sigh as he breathed her in, rested his him on top her head.**_

 _ **"Addison," he whispered in her hair. Zed held her tighter if possible, feeling her shaking slightly as she began to cry.**_

 _ **"I missed you so much," she cried, her voice muffled by his shirt. "Gar garziga."**_

 **So uh, enjoy I guess.**

* * *

"Your parents told me you wrote a suicide note."

Addison nodded shortly.

"They said that when they went to look for it in your room they couldn't find it."

Addison nodded again.

"So you know where it is?"

Addison nodded again. "Zed has it," she said.

Dr. Jankowski—Jan for short—raised an eyebrow at that. "Who's Zed?" she asked.

"My boyfriend," Addison started with a smile. "I slipped it into his backpack when he came over on Thanksgiving. He saved me, you know?"

"I think your parents might have mentioned him briefly," Jan stated. Addison grinned at that. "So why'd you give it to 'Zed'?"

"I trust him," she stated simply.

It had been nine days since she'd last seen Zed. She missed the State Semifinals game on Friday and this was now the sixth day of school she was missing. Addison didn't mind it as much, considering she had felt a lot better recently than she had ever. Jan was really nice and caring; she listened to everything Addison said and even took notes about it. She had gotten the cooks to change her breakfast from oatmeal and fruits to fruits and frosted mini wheats (Addison's favorite cereal).

The only downside was missing her friends and more importantly, Zed. Even though Jan had brought her some of her schoolwork for the past week and had updated her on the football team's unbroken winning streak.

"So Zed has the note?" Jan asked for clarification.

"He probably doesn't realize he has it," Addison explained. "I put it in his backpack mixed in with a bunch of papers he probably hasn't touched since Thanksgiving. I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't touched his bag. He has trouble concentrating in class."

"Learning disability?"

Addison shook her head. "It's mostly in the classes we have together," she added. "He spends a lot of time staring at me because he's very infatuated with me. Sometimes he tries to pay attention. It's still really cute either way."

Like usual, Jan nodded and took notes. "Do you wanna tell me more about your relationship with Zed?" Jan asked, looking up at her. "What's his full name? And his age?"

"Zed Necrodopolus, And he's fifteen. He'll be sixteen next March."

"So he's a year older than you?"

"And a few months, but it's not a major difference." Addison shrugged. "We're in the same grade though. He told me it was because only him and Bonzo—one of our friends—would've been sophomores in Zombie school so they just had them wait until there were enough kids."

"Zed's a Zombie?" It wasn't asked in a rude way like usual, instead in a genuinely curious way. Addison nodded. "How'd you two meet?"

"School," she stated. "He's on the football team and I used to cheer. The first time I saw him was outside of school on the first day, and the first time we talked was when he accidentally set off the Z-Alert."

Jan nodded and wrote. "What's he like?"

"Zed's the best. He's sweet and compassionate and funny and cute and charming. You know how when you think you can't give up yet, there's still so much you still have to do? He's one of those people you haven't met yet that you'd regret not meeting. He's just…" Addison sighed happily at the thought. "He's so amazing, Dr. Jan. I can't wait to get out of here so I can see him again and just…not even kiss him, I just wanna give him a big hug. His hugs are the best—it feels like being home. Being with Zed feels like home."

Jan has this faraway smile on her face throughout Addison's explanation. "I guess I don't have to ask if you'd think he impacted your decision at all?"

"Oh no, he did."

Jan raised an eyebrow at that. "Want to explain?"

"Sometimes, Zed walks home alone and it's really close to Zombie curfew. And since he's cutting it so close, he takes back passages. And when that happens, he's very susceptible to attacks, from humans. So a few weeks ago—near the end of October, I think—that had happened. I didn't know it happened, and I asked what was wrong with him. And he lied to me about it. And when I caught him in his lie, he lied again. And then he got me arrested for trespassing, because he had lied about us being allowed in there. So then I ended things there, because it just hurt a lot, you know?"

Addison took a shaky breath. "During the time we were apart is when the voices came back. All I could hear was how no one loved me, how the one person in the world who I thought had cared had probably lied to me the entire time for laughs. And then it just got so much worse, after I told him how I felt and then he disappeared for a week. All I could think about was how he had been hurt before and how he had been jumped again and it was my fault."

"Was he?"

Addison nodded, casting her gaze to the ground. "It was all my fault. He was only trying to apologize before I told him off. If I had heard him out then, he wouldn't have gone home. He would've come over like he always does when games run late. He was so broken and injured; he had nearly died because of me."

"Addison—"

"No, this is actually true and not me being my self-loathing self," Addison stated.

"That was no one's fault," Jan argued. "You couldn't have known that something like that would happen."

"But—"

"No buts," she interrupted. "You can't control everything that happens, Addison."

Addison felt tears swelling up in her eyes. She had been missing Zed for the days they'd been apart but had ignored it. Instead she focused on recovery—there were books to read and art projects and late schoolwork.

Zed was a huge part of her life. It made her wonder why this was the first time she mentioned him, in the more than a week she'd been there.

"That's something Zed would say," Addison pointed out. "He's got this optimistic charm that just makes you love him. Always so positive."

"Zed saved my life," she went on. "He told me that I need to do what makes me happy, even if my family hates me for it. 'Cause at the end of the day, it's my life. Not theirs. He said I was the strongest person he knows. He told me that I make his life worth living. I'm still here for him, Dr. Jan. I want to put meaning back into my life. I want to _want_ to live."

* * *

Dr. Jan wanted her to start writing in a diary. Addison hadn't touched a diary since she was seven—when this 'voice-lock' diary was popular. It wasn't such a bad idea, though. She'd get to write down everything that happened—events or about people or how she felt about events or people—and only she'd see them (and sometimes Dr. Jan, depending on the day).

Keeping a diary was very therapeutic. Or it would be if she didn't spend all day in the same place doing the same thing. For the first few days she wrote about Zed—how he looked and what he was like both physically and emotionally and what it was like dating him. She wrote down her favorite memories with and of him and some of the things she loved about him.

She wrote about her friends and her time on the cheer team, about Taylor and hanging with the football players. By her sixteenth day at Shoreside Pediatric Psychiatry Center, half her diary was filled with stories of the first half of freshmen year. To her surprise she ended up loving this idea. Addison knew Dr. Jan was reading the entries but it didn't even bug her that much.

She avoided writing about her family, all except Bucky and occasionally her parents seeing as they came up in other stories. Once she'd run out of stories to write, she wrote out song lyrics—specifically her favorite song _Someday_ and the words she knew from _Bamm_.

Addison liked SPPC, but she had to admit she liked being able to mix and match her outfits and go out with her friends, hang out with Zoey and Zed and eat anything she wanted. But it's still more peaceful and enjoyable than being at home, especially since she knew that all her family was still in town, waiting for her to get out and probably disown her.

* * *

Day nineteen started out like any other: she woke up and ate breakfast—a bowl of mixed fruits and a glass of milk—then went about her early morning exercise. There wasn't a gym at SPPC but Addison knew she not only had to workout, but enjoyed the exercise. She did her own routine, running suicides through her room and doing Pilates stretches to keep herself flexible to name a few.

Addison was in the middle of modified jumping jacks—two jumping jacks, kick each leg as high as possible and clap underneath, than two more to complete one modified jumping jack—when her door opened. She was facing the other way and turned at the noise, her eyes going wide at the sight of Zed standing in her doorway.

He looked the same but different. His hair is longer than the last time she'd seen him (he desperately needs a haircut) and he looked an inch or two taller. In one hand he held a bouquet of of tulips of mixed colors with his backpack over his shoulder. In the other he had his football bag that looked stuffed full.

They stared at each other like it was the first time they'd ever met. Zed dropped his bag on the ground, setting the flowers down on top. Wordlessly and quickly they move toward each other. Addison wrapped her arms around his middle, folding into his comforting hug. His clothes and skin were cold but she felt warm and loved in his arms. Zed let out a sigh as he breathed her in, rested his hand on top her head.

"Addison," he whispered in her hair. Zed held her tighter if possible, feeling her shaking slightly as she began to cry.

"I missed you so much," she cried, her voice muffled by his shirt. "Gar garziga."

Zed let out a watery laugh, kissing the top of her head. " _Ig gar garziga guzu_."

Addison couldn't help the grin from spreading on her face. She pinched his side and muttered, "Shut up, you're the worst."

Zed leaned down and kissed her, soft and sweet and short. When he pulled back he wiped her tears off her cheeks, saying in a soft and offering tone, "I bought you flowers. And a bunch of other stuff I've been collecting for the past three weeks for you."

He picked up the bouquet, offering it to his girlfriend. "These are beautiful," Addison said. "They let you in with all this stuff?"

"They checked my bag twice and did a strip search of me," Zed explained. "'Cause I'm a Zombie and all that."

Addison grinned, took Zed's hand and led him back toward her bed. "Sorry I'm all sweaty," she apologized. "Gotta stay in shape and all that."

"It's fine."

"What're you doing here?" Addison asked. "I mean, I love you, and I'm so happy you're here, but I thought _I_ had to approve any visitors?"

Zed gave her a small smile, leaning against her side. "That lady, Dr. Jankowski, came by school on Tuesday and called me out of class. She made me dump out my backpack because _somebody_ hid papers in there without telling me."

Addison laughed nervously, her hand instinctively rubbing the back of her neck. "Uh, sorry about that," she apologized. "I didn't want anyone else to find it."

Zed just gave her a soft smile. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed the side of her head. "It's okay, Addy. I felt honored. And your doctor—Dr. Jankowski—saw all the little thank you notes and drawings the kids made for you. So me and her and my Dad and Principal Lee talked, and we decided that instead of going to school today I could come here and spend the day with you."

Addison felt herself tearing up again. Zed was so sweet and the whole idea was amazingly sweet. Instead she focused on 'notes and drawings' he'd mentioned, asking, "Um, what're you talking about?"

Zed slung his backpack off his shoulder, setting it down in his lap. "You're gonna love this," he told her. He reached inside and pulled out a folder bulging and ready to burst with papers sticking out from all sides.

"There are two hundred and fourteen Zombies between the ages of two and eleven, and there were more than six hundred drawings and thank you cards dedicated to a certain white haired cheerleader," Zed explained. "We put most of them in a box 'cause we were planning on giving them to you for Christmas next week, but Eliza said I could give you some of them."

Zed laughed lightly and awkwardly as he passed his girlfriend the folder. "Most of the ones in here are from Zoey and her friends, though. She insisted her stuff be the first ones you see."

Addison recognized Zoey's drawing style immediately. And her handwriting and her friends'. She doesn't read every letter or look closely at every picture, but they all center around the same idea: she's in them with her pompoms or in her cheer uniform when she first took off her wig. Some of them are of her with Zoey or her with Zed, her on the beach with Zoey and Zed, her at the Block Party. All the letters are different but the same, thanking her for all she'd done for the Zombie community and 'oh your hair is so beautiful' and 'I wish you'd teach me how to cheer like you teach Zoey'.

Addison swallowed back her coming tears. She's in no business of crying again, especially when it might change the mood of her day with Zed into one filled with tears and sadness. "Zed this is really sweet and all, but could we…maybe save this for later?"

Zed nodded quickly, pulling the folder from her hands. "Totally," he said. "But—um—" he gave Addison a sly smile before continuing, "Would it be so terrible if I still gave you the gifts I bought?"

Addison bit the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning. "It would not," she stated.

Addison knew why he had brought gifts with him. She had spent a good amount of her time at SPPC working on things for him. "I got you something too," she added. "I just couldn't go out and buy it, so I hope you don't mind."

"Never."

Zed got up to grab his duffle bag before returning to his previous seat. "I'm guessing you knew that yesterday marked two months since our first kiss," he started. "And by that logic, the first day we used the 'boyfriend-girlfriend' labels."

Addison couldn't stop the smile forming on her face. "So in the spirit of anniversaries—considering neither of us can decide what the actual first date was—I bought you this."

From the front pocket of his duffle Zed pulled out a black bracelet box. "Now don't get me wrong, I was very tempted to buy a ring," Zed said. "Eliza and Bree told me no, though. Eliza said that if I were to buy an engagement ring, I'd have to talk with your parents first. And Bree said this was a much better idea than a promise ring."

He opened the box and held out the silver charm bracelet for her. "Bree was right, by the way," he added. "There's a charm for every significant event in our relationship."

Zed gingerly lifted it out of the box, pointing at the first charm. "A boxing glove?" Addison asked.

Zed nodded. "For when you punched me in the face when we first met," he explained. Addison blushed, casting her gaze at the ground. Zed went on despite her embarrassment. "I know you don't like thinking of it, but I just…I think it just made me love you even more."

Addison looked up at him, leaning up and kissing his cheek. "It's cute," she said. She pointed at the next one and said, "a megaphone."

"The pep rally," he explained.

"A key?"

"The Zombie Safe Room."

Addison grinned at the next one. "My football player," she said cheekily. "This one was so obvious."

Zed just smiled and shrugged. Addison went on, pointing at the next one. "A light bulb?"

"The Zombie Light Garden."

"And an ice cream, for our first date."

Zed gave her a pointed look. "That's debatable, but still a significant point in our relationship."

"What's the trophy for?" Addison asked.

"The Cheer Championship," Zed explained. "It was the first time you said you loved me."

"What's the sun for?" Addison asked.

"Our first kiss," Zed explained. "I had a heat stroke which led to our first kiss."

"My, someone's getting creative with their charms."

Zed smiled, leaned down and kissed her forehead. "It was actually Bree and Eliza's idea," he admitted.

Addison just smiled at him. They were both really smiley and giddy, like young love (which is exactly what they were). "What's the last one?" Addison asked.

"It's Zombie Tongue," Zed explained. " _Rigen zig dez_. October sixteenth, day of the first kiss." He took the bracelet from her.

"And now Addison—gorgeous, beautiful, the love of my life, _greünza_ ," Zed leaned in and said cheekily, "that means girlfriend." Addison gave him a tearful smile. She extended her wrist for him, allowing him to wrap the silver bracelet around. "I give you this charm bracelet filled with symbols of our relationship thus far. If you will have me, I want to spend years filling this up for you."

With that he clasped it together. "Happy anniversary Addy," he said softly.

He held her face in his hands, using the pad of his thumb to wipe her tears away. "Stop crying. I love you." He kissed her soft and slow. Once, twice, than a third time.

Addison forced herself to stop crying part way through, instead savoring the taste of Zed's kiss. This might be the only time she'll see him for another month. She didn't want to spend her day with Zed mostly crying.

When they separated Addison gave him a nervous and shy shrug. "I made you something too, for our two month anniversary," she explained. "Of course it looks like crap compared to what you gave me."

"Are you kidding?" Zed asked. "You could literally give me anything and I'd love it. I mean sure, I'll be skeptical, but the fact that it's _you_ giving it makes me want to cherish it forever."

"You say that now…"

"Hey," Zed stated, drawing her attention. "I'm sure I'll love it no matter what it is. It's not about the material thing but the meaning behind it. You're my _greünza_ , so anything you give me will be amazing."

Addison cracked a small smile, leaned up and gave him a short kiss. She jumped off her bed, moving to her desk. "Well I had to make it because I've been here for like…a month or something."

"Nineteen days."

Addison nodded along. She picked up the canvas, hid it behind her back before moving back to Zed. "It's a painting I made just for you," she said nervously. She moved it around, handing it to him cautiously. "I hope you like it."

Zed started at it for a few minutes, his eyes scanning over the artwork. It had taken her a few days to complete; a painting depicting their first kiss, with a little light bulb on top to illuminate some of the canvas while the rest was dark shadows. On the darkest parts she'd written in white ink ' _Oh what could go so wrong with a girl and a zombie?_ ' In the opposite corner, instead of her usual signature she'd written the capital letters 'A' and 'Z' in cursive, connecting.

Addison pulled at a loose curl nervously. Zed quietness made her nervous. She started to think he was trying to find a nice way to tell her that he hated it. "I-I know it's not much…" she started, only stopping when Zed looked up at her.

"Addy, this is the best thing anyone has ever gotten me," he stated. "Like in my entire life."

"You're just saying that."

Zed put the painting on the side of the bed, picked up Addison's hands in his own. "Addison, I love it so much," he said, looking her in the eyes. "It's so...it's beautiful and sweet and so well thought out. I love it. I love you."

Addison felt tears roll down her cheeks again. Zed always had a way with words. She leaned forward and kissed him, feeling him move his hand to hold her cheek. He used his thumb to wipe her cheek, holding her face in his hands.

"Okay, I think I've cried all I can today," Addison said once they'd pulled apart. "What else is in the bag?"

Zed dropped the duffle into her lap. "I brought you a bunch of my clothes that don't fit me," he explained. "I can't wear them and you clearly enjoy taking the ones I need, so I think this is a fair compromise."

"Aw!" Addison gushed. "I love your shirts! You know they smell like you?"

Zed laughed lightly. "Enjoy them, Addy. You can keep them forever."

Addison grinned at him. "You're the best, Zed," she stated. "So, tell me about the outside world. How'd the game go?"

"Good," he said. "We won. States is on Saturday and all that."

"Were you amazing as always?" she teased playfully.

She wasn't expecting him to shake his head no. "I barely played," he explained. "It was kinda embarrassing, Addy. I did so well in practice, and then I just–I froze once that whistle blew."

Addison tilted her head at him. "That doesn't sound like you," she pointed out. "What's wrong?"

"Well, it was…it had to do with you, Addison," he admitted. "If I'm being honest, it was weird playing a game without you being there. You've been to literally every game ever, and it just…it threw me off. Coach took me out for the second half 'cause I was doing horribly."

"Oh," she said quietly.

Zed scrubbed a hand over his hair. "I have no idea how I'm gonna play on Saturday," he went on. "I hate playing without you there. It felt weird and wrong. I kept looking over for you and you weren't there."

Addison wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Babe," she said quietly. "I wish I could be there to cheer you on."

Zed just shrugged. "Nothing you can do about it," he said. "It's in South Carolina anyway."

"Why?"

"It's not snowing there," he explained. "The season went a lot longer this year so the championship game happened too late in the year. It's a ten hour drive, Addy."

"How're you getting there? It's not like you can drive."

"We're taking a bus tomorrow," Zed explained. "We had our last midterm today so tomorrow there's this big pep rally before the school sends us off. I think we're leaving at ten in the morning. It's the football team, the managers and statisticians, and the cheerleaders. And then there's this other bus that's taking fans that leaves at four in the morning on Saturday, since the game is at two."

"I wish I was going," Addison pouted.

It was silent for a minute between them. Zed glanced back at her briefly, giving her a soft smile and pecking her lips. The door opened and Dr. Jan came in, a soft grin on her face as she closed the door. "Good morning you two," she said brightly. She grabbed the desk chair, wheeling it in front of them. "It's nice seeing you again, Mr. Necrodopolus."

"The pleasure is all mine," Zed replied. Addison giggled lightly, turning her head into his shoulder.

"So I'm sure you both know that I was listening in on your conversation," she started.

"Oh, I did not know that," Zed stated. He glanced at his girlfriend and asked, "Did you know that?"

Addison nodded. "Dr. Jan listens to everything. Research and such. There are microphones all over the room."

"And cameras," Jan added.

"And cameras," Addison agreed. "That mirror over there is a two-way mirror."

Jan nodded along. "Both your parents are in the other room," she explained. "We were watching you since you got here, Zed."

Zed made a face at that. "Oh my god that is so weird," he said with a nervous laugh. He shook his head and laughed again. "We were having a very personal anniversary."

"He's so cute," Addison said with a grin. She held up her bracelet for Jan to see. "I love my cute Zombie boyfriend so much. Jan, he's so amazing. Look at his face. He's so attractive, Jan."

Zed just smiled, turned his head toward her and kissed her.

"You two are very cute but I did come in here with a purpose," Jan said with a smile. "Addison, you've been here for close to a month. And I think that now is a good time for you to return home."

"What?"

"Now I don't think you going back to your home would be the best idea," Jan went on. "Based off of what we've talked about at least. Your home is a very…intense place and your family shows to cause extreme stress on you. What I suggested to your parents was having you stay with a close friend, someone you trust and who truly cares about your well being. It's the reason we invited Zed today, seeing how he's one of the most talked about people in our meetings and in your diary."

Addison subconsciously squeezed him tighter. "Oh, I think it's a little early for us to move in together," she joked.

Jan cracked a smile. "Well I think it's a great idea. Of course if you don't agree we can work something else out."

"Well you do know best," Addison stated. She sighed happily. "It will be so horrible living with Zed for—how long?"

"Well Addison, Zed, after talking with both your parents we believe that Addison doesn't need to stay here twenty-four seven," Jan explained. "So you can stay with Zed and his family while coming in twice a week for some family counseling. We'd limit the time you see your family to a minimum—except Bucky, seeing as you go to school with him."

Addison couldn't help but smile at that. "This is the best idea ever," she said softly. "Do you like it Zed?"

Zed nodded. "I think it's amazing," he said. "Zoey's gonna be ecstatic."

"And you?" Addison leaned forward to look at his face, seeing his dopey grin and faroff stare.

After a minute Zed said, "No words." He turned his head back and kissed her again. "I love you, Gorgeous."

"Mm I love you too," she said. "Gar garziga and all that."

* * *

 **A/n: Yoooo I totally forgot about this. There's a whole scene in here based completely on this video from Instagram:**

Instagram (dot com) / p / BkykXZunB9b/


	17. brownies and lullabies

Zoey squealed when Addison came home with Zed and her dad with all her clothes and bags with her. She attached herself to Addison's leg for ten minutes before dragging Addison upstairs. She was even more excited when she found out Addison would move into her room.

Eliza, Bonzo, Bucky, and Bree came over after school with a bottle of champagne (that Zevon immediately took away) and a three containers of brownies. Only Bucky knew where she had been but they spent her return party finally revealing what she was actually up to.

Bucky rolled his eyes jokingly when she'd said that she was staying with Zed. "I'm hurt but not surprised," he said with a laugh. "I'm glad your out though, Addy Catty."

"Aw thanks," Addison gushed. "I've kinda missed you, Buck." She looked at her other friends and smiled brighter. "And you guys too, I guess."

"We missed you too, Cheerleader," Eliza said with a grin. "Zed was so mopey it was depressing."

"I wasn't mopey," Zed agreed.

From her spot on the floor Zoey said, "You were so mopey, Zed. It made me sad. And it made Puppy sad too." She stroked Puppy's fur affectionately.

Zed just smiled with a hint of sadness. He wrapped an arm around Addison shoulder, pulling her in close. "So are you going to the game Saturday?" Bree asked Addison.

Addison nodded with a grin. "Unlike you losers, I get to go with the team," she bragged. "I'm not even gonna unpack my stuff tonight since we leave in the morning."

"Uh I get to go with the team too," Bucky pointed out.

Addison stuck her tongue at her cousin, drawing laughs from around the room. They talked for most of the afternoon, getting reacquainted with each other and eating way too many brownies (except Zed who was on a strict diet for the days leading to the game).

When it was getting dark Eliza and Bonzo went home across the street and Bucky drove Bree home. Addison was upstairs playing dolls with Zoey while Zed stayed outback getting in some more workout. He did a half hour before going inside to clean up before dinner.

Zevon got home just before dark while Zed and Zoey were setting the table. "I leave for a few hours and Addison is gone, huh?" he joked upon arrival.

"Addy's in the shower," Zoey explained giddily. "It's gonna be so much fun with her here! We played with my toys and we looked at the pictures me and my friends made for her on Thanksgiving."

"Sounds like fun," Zevon said with a grin. He sniffed the air then tilted his head at his son. "What'd you make for dinner?"

"Well Bucky taught me how to make Addison's favorite dinner: steak and fried rice," Zed explained.

Zoey stood on her chair, giving her dad a serious look. "Bucky made a list of instructions which Zed only followed a little. He said he was adding 'Zombie Flare' so be warned if you get food poisoning."

Zevon laughed. "Don't stand on the chair, Zoe Zoe," he reminded her, pulling his daughter off the chair and sitting her in it instead. "Otherwise you might fall and break your arm like someone."

Zevon and Zoey gave Zed a pointed look, to which he just laughed. "I was nine and clumsy, can you blame me?"

"I told you a hundred times not to stand on the furniture," Zevon reminded him. "Karma's a _geeez_."

"Dad!"

Zevon laughed heartily.

Zed grabbed a chair from the living room just as Addison came down the stairs, dressed in pink leggings and one of Zed's shirts and drying her hair. Zed smiled at her which she mirrored, standing on her toes to peck his lips.

"Today's been a good day," she said happily.

"It's gonna get better too," Zed added. "Get on my back."

"Piggy back ride?"

Zed nodded and squatted down, letting Addison climb onto his back. He bounced her up and down and spun her around a few times for good measure, just like he'd do when he gave Zoey piggy back rides. Addison squealed and laughed in response, at one point pulling out her phone and snapping several selfies.

Zed pushed the chair toward the kitchen while keeping a loose handle on Addison. "A little birdie told me you love steak," Zed pointed out.

Addison nodded eagerly. "My cousin, Chris, makes the best steaks," she pointed out. "But I'm one hundred percent positive that yours will be better. Starting with the fact that I'm sure you used actual beef and not some tofu B.S."

"You don't like tofu?"

"Of course I don't like tofu. I'm a human person I don't wanna eat some bean sponge."

Zed barked out a laugh. He put the chair at the table making it a little more crowded. Zevon was already seated at the table and smiled fondly at his son and his girlfriend, while Zoey finished setting up.

They all sat around the table and began eating, the room almost completely silent while they savored the taste. It was the first time in years that Zevon had steak, it was the first time ever for Zed and Zoey, and it was the first time in weeks Addison had something flavorful (that she chose).

They finished their dinner not long after. Zoey cleaned the table then went upstairs with Addison to clean her room, while Zed stayed downstairs to clean the kitchen. Zevon came into the kitchen a few minutes after, leaning against the counter and watching his son.

"Dad I have a feeling you wanna talk to me," Zed pointed out.

Zevon chuckled. "Your very observant, Son," he said. "I do, actually."

Zed grinned slightly, sparing a glance at his dad. "It's about Addison being here, right?"

Zevon chuckled again and nodded. "Leave the big lecture to me, alright?"

Zed laughed lightly. "Go ahead Pops, I'm listening."

"Well you know I work a lot, and today was the first time I've ever really seen you and Addison together," Zevon started. "It was very sweet and romantic. You two are really…you guys look good together. Just don't get married without telling me, alright."

Zed laughed lightly. "I'll try, Dad, but I can't promise anything."

"Listen, I know you guys are in love and everything, but Addison cannot sleep in your room," Zevon stated. "And during the day if she's in there, I want to door open completely. No closed doors in this house, Zed. I'm serious. I don't mind Addison staying here but I do not want any funny business here."

"I think now is a good time to tell you that we'll probably be in the same room this weekend."

Zevon gave him a slight smirk. "I don't control things outside my house, son."

Zed grinned. "Alright Dad, I get what you're saying," he said.

Zevon patted his son's shoulder. "You're a good kid, Zed," he said. "A really amazing boyfriend to her. I can tell you guys are really happy together. And that bracelet you gave her was really perfect. and definitely not cheap."

Zed groaned under his breath. "I know, but I just knew it was right Dad," he explained. "And I mean, I've been saving that money for a few years now with no actual purpose. I think it was money well spent."

"I'm not here to tell you how to spend your money. I'm just telling you the basic ground rules while Addison is here."

"I got it Pops."

Zevon smiled softly at his son. "I can't say it enough. You're a great son, and a great older brother. You've been amazing with everything going on."

Before Zed could say anything, Zoey came into the kitchen. "Who's reading to me tonight?" she asked.

Zed answered before his dad could, "I will. Go get ready for bed, Zoey."

Zoey grinned and bounded back up the stairs. Zed put the last of the dishes away, dried his hands on a rag before turning to his dad. "I'm gonna go get ready for bed," he said. "Good chat tonight. I think we did a lot of good parenting."

Zevon laughed heartily. "Goodnight Zed."

* * *

"Why are you on the floor?"

Zed looked over as Addison sat beside him. "I'm waiting for the bathroom," he explained. He turned toward the door, hitting once and screaming, "Because Zoey takes forever!"

In response Zoey cursed him in Zombie, saying, " _Uck grugze_!"

Zed laughed. "Watch your language, Zoey."

"What'd she say?"

"Shut the fuck up," Zed explained. "If you ever hear us speaking Zombie Tongue, we're probably cursing."

Addison laughed awkwardly. "Zoey's six, and you let her curse? I don't even curse like that."

Zed shrugged simply. "As long as she doesn't say it in English it's fine."

"I forgot you guys all speak Zombie Tongue," Addison said.

Zed smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "You'll pick it up. It's not a hard language."

"That's debatable."

The bathroom door opened and Zoey sauntered out, Puppy in tow as she made her way to her room. "It's story time!" she proclaimed loudly.

Zed rolled his eyes fondly, getting to his feet and pulling Addison up with him. "You have any classic Seabrook bedtime stories you can wanna share tonight?"

Addison thought for a minute then shook her head. "The only stories I've been told are about brain eating Zombies, which were pretty graphic for a four year old. Besides, I'd much rather hear your classic Zombie bedtime stories."

Zed laughed lightly, spinning Addison around. "They're all in Zombie Tongue, but I'm sure I could translate."

Addison giggled and leaned back against him. She smiled up at him, her eyes shining brightly. Zed's heart melted at the sight; he leaned down and kissed her, soft and slow and gentle. Addison sighed into the kiss. It lasted a few more seconds before Zoey cleared her throat from her room doorway. The two teenagers pulled apart slowly, smiling at each other before looking at Zoey.

"I hate to interrupt but I need a story before bed," Zoey said. "I'm waiting."

Zoey went back in her room on that note. "Come on my love," Zed stated dramatically. "It's story time."

* * *

"Any specific story you'd like to hear tonight?" Zed asked.

Zoey nodded as she got settled under the covers. "Tell me a love story," she asked.

"A love story?" Zed inquired. He looked his girlfriend curiously. "I don't know many love stories, Zoe. Do you?"

"Every Disney movie ever made," Addison stated.

"No," Zoey protested. "I wanna hear _your_ story. Y'know, the story of Zed and Addison."

"Ah." Zed grinned at his girlfriend. "I dunno. It's pretty crazy, but did you hear the story."

"I think I heard it vaguely, Zed."

"A girl and a zombie."

Instead of saying it she sung out softly, "Oh tell me more boy, sounds like a fantasy."

"Oh what could go so wrong with a girl and a zombie?"

Zoey giggled, watching them step back into the open area of her room. Zed pulled out the emergency flashlight from her desk, turning it on and passing it to Addison. "You're from the perfect paradise, and I'm living on the darker side," he sang, casting shadow puppets into the wall.

Addison clicked off the flashlight, tapping his shoulder as she sang, "Oh I got a feeling if you get to know me."

"Right from the start you caught my eye—" He tossed her a little pompom over his shoulder, making Addison laugh lightly. "Something inside me came to life."

"Oh I got a feeling if you get to know me."

Zed pulled out his sister's desk chair for Addison to climb up onto. "Someday, this could, this could be ordinary."

Zed pulled her off, spinning her around bridal style. "Someday, could we be something extraordinary."

They linked arms, shuffling toward the center of the room. "You and me side by side," Zed sang.

"Out in the broad daylight," they sang together. "If they laugh we'll say: We're gonna be someday."

Zoey laughed, watching in wonder as they danced and sang through the rest of the song. "So how was that Zoe?" Zed asked once they finished.

"Very cute, but I did not like the cliffhanger," Zoey reviewed. "Have you gotten your Someday yet?"

Zed glanced at Addison, seeing her give a simple shrug. "I think we're getting there," Addison stated. "But that's a story for another night, right Zed?"

Zed nodded. He got off his sister's bed, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "When we get back from Charlotte in a few days."

"Did you just say 'ShA-let'?" Addison asked. Zed nodded. "It's 'Shar-let'."

"It's either way," Zed stated.

"No I said it right."

Zed just rolled his eyes fondly. "Goodnight Zoe."

"G'night, Zed. Night Addy."

* * *

 **A/n: wow this was really short. Anyway I forgot to give credit last chapter to Ms. Grace, the lovely who always drops a review and also gave the idea for Addison to live with Zed (or Bree but I choose Zed for plot purposes). I mean I take ideas all the time so just let me know what you've got!**

 **As always leave a review they brighten my day! Until next time!**


	18. sweet returns and soiled words

Zed in the morning was a sight to behold. He already showered when he woke Addison up but was only dressed in his boxers, his skin still glistening with the water droplets. He would be a lot more attractive if it wasn't five thirty in the morning and still dark outside.

He told her to get her shower stuff quietly because Zoey was still sleeping. Addison was used to being up early, considering cheer camp started at seven in the morning. She just wasn't used to be woken up by her almost naked boyfriend. They both went into the small bathroom—Zed said he still had stuff to do but Addison could still shower since he only needed the sink.

Addison cringed at her reflection, making Zed laugh out loud. "What's the face for?" he asked.

"I look horrible," Addison stated. She made a face and pulled on her knotted hair. "Fuck, look at this rat's nest."

Zed chuckled, leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You look beautiful all day, everyday," he told her. "Even when you just wake up."

"Fuck off."

Zed whistled lowly. "Someone's got a potty mouth in the morning."

Addison looked at him in the corner of eye and scowled. "Literally, fuck off."

"This is the third time you've said the F-word."

Addison just shook her head, beginning to line her shampoo and soaps in the shower. "How do you curse in Zombie? _Ürck_ was it?"

" _Uck_ ," Zed corrected. "You just said 'faggot', as in the offensive gay slur."

Addison turned the shower water on, closing the curtain to let the water warm before turning back to Zed. "I like 'fuck' better. Now get out so I can get naked."

* * *

Addison let Zoey pick out her outfit for the day. It was spontaneous and mostly because Addison had packed a lot of her favorite clothes for Charlotte. "Something simple and comfy, I'm gonna be on a bus for a long time."

Zoey definitely delivered, picking out a pair of green camouflage pattern joggers and a lavender crop hoodie. Addison grabbed the only shoes she didn't pack (a pair of running sneakers) and put her hair up in a messy ponytail before heading down the stairs for breakfast.

It was just her and Zoey while Zevon finished making breakfast. "It smells delicious," Addison told him.

"It's brains in a can," Zoey told her. "We eat it _everyday_ ," she added with a groan.

Zevon brought the still hot pan to the table, scraping some out on each of their plates. "It's made of cauliflower, it's delicious."

Zed chose that moment to come down the stairs and into the kitchen, sitting in the empty chair beside Addison. "It tastes like gym sneakers, Dad."

Zevon laughed and sat down. Zoey leaned in and stage whispered to Addison, "Every. Morning."

Addison giggled lightly. "I love it here," she beamed. "You guys are awesome."

It didn't taste like gym sneakers (or at least how they smelled, considering Addison had never _tasted_ gym sneakers). It tasted fine to her, and the orange juice tasted like fresh squeeze. They finished breakfast before seven in the morning. Zevon and Zoey left for school and work respectively, leaving the two of them alone until it was time to leave for school.

"So What happens next in this amazing Necrodopolus morning traditions?" Addison asked.

Zed chuckled lightly. "Well normally, I go around Zombietown, having some friendly morning chats with everyone, then get Eliza and Bonzo and head to school," Zed explained. "But we gotta get to school early. We have to load the bus before the assembly and they wanna drug test everyone playing before the game."

"So we're gonna leave now?" Addison said with a hint of disappointment. She was comfortable sitting on his couch, snuggling in his lap, to the point where she didn't want to move ever.

Luckily Zed shook his head no. "Eric's gonna pick us up in about fifteen minutes."

Addison looked up at him with a sly grin. "Fifteen minutes, huh?"

* * *

Sure enough, Eric Germane knocked on the door fifteen minutes later. Zed and Addison had to take a minute to compose themselves and make it look like they weren't just making out and fondling each other.

When Zed stood up to get the door, Addison asked, "Can I have another piggy back ride?"

"Of course, _vēgül_ ," he said, bending down to let her climb on his back. "That means 'my love', gender neutral and all."

Addison grinned and climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. " _Vēgül_ ," she told him, kissing his cheek softly.

"You're getting better with your pronunciations, Addy."

Eric knocked again more insistently. Zed rolled his eyes and answered the door, putting on a grin for his friend. Eric opened his mouth to say something—which would've been rude considering it was early morning and he probably didn't want to be in Zombietown—but stopped short when he spotted Addison.

"Holy shit! It's Addison! You're here!" Eric beamed. "Oh my god look at you!"

Addison giggled. "Good morning Eric," she greeted. "I hear we're going to Charlotte today?"

Eric nodded and laughed again. He looked at Zed and jokingly asked, "Have you been hiding her here this whole time?"

"Yes, she's all mine," Zed responded.

The three of them laughed together again. "I'd hug you Addison but you seem occupied."

Addison grinned and kissed Zed's cheek again. " _Gar garizga kêreb_ ," she said to Zed.

Zed smiled brightly, turning his head to her and kissing her. "You're nearly there, you just keep forgetting the words in the first part."

"Oh shut up."

From across the street they heard Eliza scream, "Stop making out you're making the human uncomfortable!" Zed, Addison, and Eric looked across the street, seeing Eliza and Bonzo standing there and faking a look of disgust. Bonzo mimicked pulling off his Z-Band for good measure.

"Wh-why'd he do that?" Addison asked Zed nervously.

"Oh it's an inside joke," he explained. "Zombies only, sorry."

Eric just nodded and turned around, making his way over to the Zombies across the street. Zed just shrugged at the silent question, turning back inside to grab their bags. It was a struggle to get them in the trunk with Addison on his back but he managed (with Bonzo's help of course).

"Thanks Bonzo," Zed said once the bags were all in. "See you at school."

Bonzo grinned and gave them a hug. " _Gaē_."

Once he walked away, Zed told Addison, "That means 'bye' or 'see you'. Context clues are important when speaking Zombie Tongue."

Addison smiled and kissed his cheek lovingly. "I'm very happy you're teaching me Zombie Tongue," she told him. "I love you."

"I love you too, Gorgeous."

* * *

Eric parked in the back parking lot, where the buses and football team were. Everyone was minding their own, getting their bags checked in and on the bus. At least until they saw Addison.

Addison hadn't even realized that they even remembered her, let alone missed her enough to tackle her a hug. There were fifteen of them all tackling her, not including Zed who was shielding her from most of the action. It lasted a good two minutes, where she barely caught what any of them were saying. It was mostly them gushing over her return.

Zed managed to break it up after a while, keeping his arms around her protectively while everyone gathered their bearings. "Have you been hiding her all these weeks, Necrodopolus?" Bryce asked jokingly.

"You know you're not the first person to say that," Addison pointed out with a light laugh.

They were all grinning like idiots. "We've missed you, Cheerleader," Tomas said with a grin. "It's been kinda miserable without you, believe it or not."

"I heard," Addison said, giving Zed a knowing look.

She looked around at the group, finally noticing that they were all wearing matching Letterman's jackets. Even Zed had one on. "Where'd all this come from?" she asked, her question more directed at Zed than anything.

"Principal Lee wants us to look in some sort of uniform," Eric explained. "We've got jackets for the ride down and shirts for dinner tonight and practice tomorrow morning."

"And apparently if we win we get State Champion shirts," Zed added.

Taylor came over from the bus, holding out a jacket for Addison. "We got you one too, but we were planning on giving it to you for Christmas."

"We didn't know you were coming today," Tomas added, giving them a pointed look.

Addison just grinned and ducked out from under Zed's arms to take the jacket. She held it up to look at it, seeing it had the same ombré pattern as the cheer uniforms (pink on top and green on the bottom) and same grey sleeves. On the right side it said 'Seabrook Varsity Football' and on the back it read 'Apex Cheerleader'.

"What's this mean?" she asked curiously.

"Well apex is some math joke, according to Taylor," Zed explained. "And you know where 'Cheerleader' comes from."

Addison grinned even brighter, hugging it closer to her chest. "I love it, you guys are the best," she said. "And it's way cuter than the cheer jackets too."

Addison pulled off her sweatshirt and replaced it with the jacket. She didn't catch the way they all stared at her as she pulled off the sweatshirt, or peeped her spaghetti strap tank top underneath. She definitely didn't see it when Zed glared at them all and bared his teeth, basically growling.

Coach walked over at that pointed, laughing to himself and grinning at Addison. "Okay break it up you guys," he said. "You guys, to the gym for your drug tests. You too Zed and Eric, you're both late. Addison and Taylor, come with me. Taylor grab their bags for me."

* * *

While the guys were getting tested, Addison and Taylor were tasked with double checking the luggage, bus, and paperwork. Addison was glad she was done with the group hugs and everything, doing something normal for the first time in a while. And Taylor got that she didn't want to talk about her 'vacation' the whole time, and kept the conversation light.

"Paperwork is so boring," Addison stated. "It's just…it's stupid papers."

Taylor just laughed at her. "You learn a lot doing paperwork," he pointed out. "Look, Zed's full name is Zedekiah Jacob Necrodopolus."

"You're kidding."

Taylor handed her the file folder, which was labeled 'Necrodopolus, Zedekiah' to her surprise. "Go through it, you'll be surprised. He was 22.2 inches at birth and weighed…barely 6 pounds."

Addison raised an eyebrow at that. "Why would his file say that?"

"That's was in the newspaper, a week after he was born," Taylor explained. "Him and Bonzo were miracle babies. I'll give it to you if you wanna read the article."

"That'd be nice."

She flipped through his file, reading his school and disciplinary reports, his charts from Zombie Containment, all of it. It was definitely thicker than the documents they had for human students and a lot more detailed.

"You know, I think he has the newspaper article framed in his room," Addison stated.

"Oh you've been in his room, huh?"

"Shut up."

Coach came into his office, putting a stack of papers on the desk. "How's it going guys? Nothing unusual or anything?"

"Nope."

"Can you file these physicals for me? They just got completed this morning," Coach asked.

Addison and Taylor nodded, Addison leaning over to grab the papers. "Sorry for having you do this on your first day back, Addison," Coach apologized.

"Oh it's fine," Addison said. "I honestly don't mind."

Coach still smiled apologetically. "I didn't know you were joining us until this morning," he admitted. "Zed said that you're staying in his room. I called your parents and they said it was fine. I just wanted to make sure you were okay with it, considering he's also rooming with Eric and Bryce."

Addison just nodded along, smiling politely. "Yeah that's cool, thanks."

"How's the testing going?" Taylor asked.

Coach shrugged. "They're all complying easily for the drug test," he said. "There're officials here to give them physical examinations, and again tomorrow morning before the game."

Taylor whistled. "They're serious."

Addison laughed lightly. "I bet there's gonna be someone from Zombie Patrol to make sure Zed stays online," she joked.

"They're sending four patrols up with us today, and bringing six more—including your dad—tomorrow," Taylor stated. "For cheating and any Z-Band malfunctions."

"But it's okay," Coach said in a rush. "Because we won't have any malfunctions, or hacks, or anything like that."

Addison just nodded along. The possibility of a malfunction was close to a hundred, considering Zed still had a temporary Z-Band. He'd told her it was because they'd give him a new one on his yearly checkup in March. It made her worry, considering the temporary Z-Band was version two-point-oh and the one everyone had was three point five. The only good part was that it wasn't the first version, which would shut off under the slightest bit of stress. It was still pretty sucky but better than the worst.

Addison and Taylor finished up the paperwork and put all the files away in a box to go on the bus. They went out for a photo shoot at eight (#extra). They took individual and group shoots, some with the whole team and some with friend groups.

While they were taking pictures the cheerleaders were in the gym hyping up the crowd. There were four photographers, one of which Addison knew personally thanks to her being romantically involved with her cousins Chris.

"Addison? Is that you?" Bonnie had asked upon sighting her.

Addison just smiled politely. "I didn't know you were in town," she said.

Bonnie shrugged. "Chris texted me and said that he wasn't going to Colorado anymore so I decided to stay here too," she explained. "Not the point. Considering I'm on call and you're part of the team, you want any pictures? You look good in your jacket."

Zed came over, wrapping his arms around Addison's middle and pulling her flush against his chest. "She does look delicious, doesn't she?" he said, kissing her cheek affectionately. "Oops, I mean gorgeous."

Addison giggled, turning her head to kiss him. She heard the shutter go off and glanced at Bonnie briefly. Bonnie just grinned at them. "Addy Catty, is this your mysterious boyfriend I've heard little to nothing about?" she asked.

"Addy Catty?" Zed whispered with a raised eyebrow.

"Tell you later," Addison told him. Then to Bonnie she said, "This is Zed, my boyfriend. Zed this is my cousin's girlfriend, Bonnie."

"Mom or Dad?"

"Dad."

Zed nodded, grinning at Bonnie. "It's nice to meet you, Bonnie."

"You too…Zombie." Addison groaned inwardly. "Never mind that, we can take more pictures of you too," Bonnie said. "I'm sure the company would love pictures of the two of you. First zombie on a football team. First Zombie-human relationship. All very exciting."

She snapped another picture of them. "I've already taken like ten of you guys. Very photogenic, you two."

They took more pictures together, then joined the rest of the team for more group pictures. Some of them even got interviewed, including Zed.

They went to the pep rally at nine, breaking through banners (#extra) and cheering with the cheerleaders. At fifteen minutes to ten, they had the student body and cheerleaders make a bridge to the bus (#extra).

There were more than enough rows where they didn't have to sit next to another person. It was a long drive that only had one break at lunchtime so most people didn't want to sit with someone else. Either way, Zed and Addison sat next to the sat other. It was mostly cuddling; Zed took a nap while Addison spent a few hours on her phone.

Zed woke up an hour before their scheduled lunch break (at three), which was when Addison showed him her handiwork. "What's this?" Zed asked.

"Uh I made an Instagram page for the Zombie community," Addison said. "See? It's called ' _wereinzombieland'_. Everyone has this whole one-sided outlook on Zombies and what they're like and all that. But there's so much more. I want the world to be able to see that there's more to Zombies than eating brains, considering there hasn't be a reported incident in over twenty years. And there's already eighteen followers, myself and Bree not included."

"That's…that's actually a pretty cool idea."

"Thanks. I thought of it during the hours of downtime I had. But I never planned on actually doing it until Zoey told me about cheer camp."

"Oh yeah," Zed said sadly. "She was really crushed about it." He shrugged and sat back in his chair. "Nothing we can do though."

"Yes!" Addison exclaimed. "We can do this! We can't change those bigots' minds, but we can show the world just how fucked up things are!"

Zed looked at her with wide eyes and an amused smile as everyone else on the bus just gasped. "Was that Addison?" Coach called from up front.

Addison looked at Zed and giggled under her breath, then leaned over the seat and called, "My bad!"

"This is the sixth time you've said the F-word," Zed whispered.

"It's the fifth."

"No, I heard you when you got a papercut in Coach's office."

From across the aisle Taylor laughed. Addison just shook her head. "Anyway," she said. "I wanted the very first post to be about that, but I also want to highlight all the awesome things Zombies do. Put some spotlight on you guys. I don't just have plans for you and Eliza and Bonzo and Zoey, by the way. I've got pics of Paizley, Rizzo, Jazz, Ozzy. I take a lot of pictures in the day."

Zed chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I love this idea, Addy," he told her. "Especially since it can reach the world in the click of a button. At least according to Tracey."

"Have you been talking to all the Aceys while I was gone? It's like I don't even know you."

Zed just laughed. "I've been a lot more social, you should be so proud of me."

"I'm very proud Baby," Addison told him, leaning up and kissing his cheek. "Okay, I'm gonna post it."

* * *

' _wereinzombieland' posted for the first time_

[video of Zoey in her room doing her original cheer] [Zoey and the Aceys after the Cheer Championship] [video of Zoey cheering at the Cheer Championship]

 _'Meet Zoey. She's 6y/o, has a bubbly personality, loves dogs and flowers and loves cheering. Zoey brightens any room she enters. She's literally a ray of sunshine. Oh and yeah, she's a Zombie._

 _Zoey cheered with Seabrook High at the most recent Regional Cheer Championship, where they placed second. She's got moved, personality, and the passion to be a great cheerleader. The captain of the Seabrook High cheer team, as well as the three assistant captains and several cheerleaders, recommended Zoey for a cheer summer camp—very prestigious where only the best of the best are accepted._

 _They loved Zoey's application and her recommendations. But when she went in for her interview they turned her away immediately, because she's a Zombie. All of her qualifications and recommendations meant nothing just because of the way she was born. The only cheer program for kids her age for miles rejected her because of who she is—a zombie—without a second thought.'_


	19. a little romantic tiff never hurt

The first thing Zed heard when he wakes up is Addison, saying loudly and in a breathy voice, "What the fuck?"

It was the fourteenth time in the past twenty four hours he's heard her say the F-word; it made him smile sleepily and pull her closer to his chest. Addison just squealed but didn't protest, instead turning around to face him. She smiled brightly with her phone in her hand. "Zed, your sister's famous," she stated.

"What're you talking about?"

"That post I made yesterday about her the cheer camp went viral," Addison said excitedly. "It's got over fourteen thousand (14,000) likes and views, it's been reposted a couple thousand times. It's got thousands of comments. Everyone's talking about it—some of the most popular accounts and everything."

From his bed Bryce said sleepily, "If you're gonna fuck, can you do it quieter? Some of us are trying to sleep." Eric grunted in agreement.

Zed just rolled his eyes. "That's really great, Addy," he told her.

"I'm gonna put you on the story."

"The what?"

"It's like a post, but it only stays for twenty four hours," Addison explained. "Just keep looking cute."

"Ugh I'm gonna barf in my bed," Eric grumbled.

Zed just smiled softly and shifted on the pillow. Addison snapped a picture of him while he had his eyes closed and surprised him. A few minutes later she showed him the picture: one that was captioned with 'zombie cutie on the morning of his first big game' and a second, older picture of him and Zoey in his room lighting weights captioned 'P.S. Zoey's his baby sister'.

"Aw, when'd you take this picture?" Zed asked.

"Yesterday, but I had to take a screenshot of it so it could be fresh."

"I understand little of what you're saying, technology wise," Zed told her. "But you sound excited, so I take it as good news."

Addison giggled, leaned forward and kissed him softly. "Morning babe," she told him. "Today's gonna be a good day."

Zed grinned and kissed her again. The other boys in the room groaned and sat up. "I guess I'm waking up now," Bryce grumbled.

* * *

"Zed, hydrate up," Coach instructed. "There's a chance that you'll be playing all ways, and I need you in top shape."

Zed nodded along. "Any specifics, or just prepare for anything?"

"Addison showed me a video of you throwing the ball several hundred feet, at least."

"Oh you're for an arm and you've been holding out on us?" Eric teased. "You're just full of surprises."

Zed just grinned shyly. When he first went to football practice he was out at fullback, where he blocked for he quarterback and did long runs. No one asked him what he wanted to play, he was just placed where they needed him.

Zed glanced at Addison and whispered to her, "How fo you keep getting all these pictures and videos? You're been in my house for literally one day."

Addison just smiled and shrugged simply. "Don't worry about it," she told him.

"Once we get to the field I want you all to start doing some light stretching, make sure you finish digesting and don't throw up on the field," Coach instructed. "Tomas, lead workout. Taylor will be coming with me to get the results from your drug tests yesterday, so Addison will be going with you all to the field. At twelve thirty head to the locker room and gear up, be on the field by one."

"That's when the cheerleaders come on the field," one of the juniors on the team stage whispered, earning snickers all around.

Coach just rolled his eyes. "Even though she's probably the youngest, Addison is in charge until I get back."

Addison whooped loudly while everyone just kind of groaned. Zed grinned at his girlfriend's proud grin. Coach looked at her pleadingly. "Make sure they're behaving and working out, and not just goofing around."

"You don't think she's just gonna be smooching Zed the whole time?" Bryce teased.

"Hey, at least I have a girlfriend."

That seemed to make everyone laugh, then promptly shut up so Coach could finish. "There's gonna be snacks and drinks provided," he went on. "Addison will sign for them, but considering she's just one very small person, I expect you guys to carry them to the field."

"I'm not that small," Addison grumbled, silently fuming.

"What are you, five foot even?" Zed teased.

Addison glared at him. "I'm five foot three, for your information."

Zed chuckled heartily. "Why are you so angry?"

"I'm a lot closer to hell bitch."

Zed looked at her with wide eyes and an amused smile as everyone else on the bus just gasped mockingly. Coach just groaned. He sat down with a huff. "Ten minutes until we get there. Start getting your stuff together."

* * *

"Are you really upset that I called you short?"

"Yes I'm really upset that you called me short," Addison mocked.

Zed sighed a little helplessly. "Addy, c'mon—"

"I don't wanna hear it," Addison cut him off. "You're not special, get on the field like everyone else."

Zed looked at her in disbelief for a few more seconds, before sighing and jogging onto the field. He was distracted but managed to get through warm up okay. He did his best to not look over at Addison every second there was. When she called them off the field for the fifteen minute break (for Gatorade), he made sure to corner her by the bleachers and away from the rest of the team.

"Addison, are you made at me? Like for real?"

Addison just sighed and let her folded arms drop. "I'm not mad," she stated. "I'll admit, I'm a little upset."

"Why?" Zed asked. "Is it because I made fun of you?"

Addison nodded. She looked up at him with a slight frown. "It was more so because…I can handle it when other people mock me, because I know that you won't or you'll stand up for me—or I thought so, at least."

"For anything, you're average height," Zed pointed out. "I'm the one who's abnormally tall."

He took her hands in his and kissed her top of her head. "People make fun of me all the time for lots of things. Some of them hurt, some of them used to hurt."

"I don't make fun of you." Zed gave her a knowing look and she sighed. "You're right, I'm overreacting."

"Just a little bit," he teased lightly. "It's okay, because I love you. And I know how offended short people get when their mocked about their height."

"It's like you didn't learn anything," Addison grumbled.

Zed just laughed again. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Did you drink something?" Addison asked.

Zed shook his head. "I can't drink lime Gatorade," he told her. "Lime soda is one of the factors in how the outbreak started, so lime anything can turn us full Zombie without a cure."

Addison gave him a surprised look. "Lime soda? You're being serious?"

Zed nodded. "Do people in Seabrook not talk about the outbreak? You know once I say it out loud I get how stupid that was."

Addison laughed lightly. "Shut up," she teased. "Go back to your team, I'm gonna go find some water for you."

" _Ga zar, greeska_." After a silent moment, Zed leaned down and explained, "That means 'thanks, Cheerleader'."


	20. live from Charlotte

' _wereinzombieland' started a live video. Watch it before it ends!_

" _Hello people of instagram. My name is Addison, I'm the human behind this account. It's definitely because zombies aren't allowed to own cell phones, but it's okay, since I'll be living in Zombietown for an indefinite period of time."_

" _So today, I'm in Charlotte," Addison stated. "The New Hampshire Class A3 Football Championship game is today, and because it's snowing back home the game was moved to North Carolina. Fun, right?"_

" _I don't know if you saw this morning, but Zed is here. He's like, the most popular Zombie. All the Zombies love him, at least as far as I'm concerned. And of course I love him, he's my boyfriend. And he's out there on the field, going through warm up before the big game."_

 _She flipped the camera to the field and called for Zed, who waved and blew her a kiss before going back to practice. She turned the camera back and grinned. "He's so cute."_

 _Her eyes scanned over the comments briefly. "Yes, Zed is the only Zombie on the team. Fun fact, he's the first Zombie to leave the state. There's a bunch more coming soon though, to watch the big game. We're all very excited."_

" _I have to end this soon," Addison went on. "But I did have a reason for starting a live. Sure I'll save it. If I figure out how. Anyway, I was talking to Zed like three minutes ago, and he told me this very interesting fact about Zombies. Apparently the outbreak that caused them to go all Zombie had a variable involving lime soda, so if a Zombie were to ingest anything with lime they'd go all 'full Zombie', as Zed likes to say, and wouldn't be able to turn back."_

" _So be warned, lime and Zombies_ do not _mix." Addison smiled brightly. "I had to hunt down one of those sports moms or whatever from Erikson High and beg her to give me this water."_

 _She waved around the extra large water bottle with a smile. "I gotta go, but I will be posting more about the game, I'll let some Zombies come on once they get here. I'm not sure about Eliza, but you'll love Bonzo. Granted, he doesn't speak English, but he's still super lovable. Okay bye!"_

* * *

"Addison," Taylor called. "Is there a reason that we've got all those cases of water being delivered? All for Zed?"

Addison smiled innocently. "I dunno," she said helplessly.

Taylor gave her a knowing smile. "Sure you don't," she stated. "It has nothing to do with your live video, right?"

"You follow?"

Taylor nodded. "Help me bring these in, changemaker."

"I haven't done anything special," she stated. She couldn't help but smile though.

"Hey, do you guys need any help?" Addison turned around to see a girl about her age. She was a little taller than Addison. The most eye catching thing about her was her brown curls with blue and purple streaks in them.

"Sure," Taylor answered. "We just need to get these cases to the Seabrook bench."

"Seabrook, ah," the girl noted. "You know you're gonna lose?"

"Are you a Warrior?" Addison asked teasingly.

The girl picked up a case of water and grinned. "Yep, and y'all are some Shrimps."

Addison laughed lightly. "Listen, I'm not in the business of trash talk," she stated. "Leave that to the football players, maybe the cheerleaders."

"I'm Evangeline," the girl said. "I know you, 'cause you're Addison from Seabrook. The human behind my new favorite Instagram account."

Addison couldn't help but blush. "I'm glad you like it," she said.

Evangeline grinned. She glanced at Taylor briefly. "And you are?"

"Taylor. And Addison doesn't speak for me when she says she doesn't do trash talk." she said, making the others laugh.

They got to the Shrimp bench and set down the cases of water. The team was still changing in the locker room, where Addison wasn't allowed because she was a girl.

"I'll be back," Taylor said. "I'm gonna go find Coach for our stats sheets."

"Coach is in the locker room," Addison told him. "And you aren't allowed in there today."

"Yeah, but you're the only one who pays attention to gender changes," Taylor said with a wink. "Nice meeting you, Evangeline."

Evangeline gave her some finger guns, grinning to herself as she jogged away.

"Have I mentioned that I love your hair?" Evangeline asked. "I can never find this color when I'm looking for some good white dye."

Addison smiled shyly. "It's not dye," she told her. "It's…I was born with it like this."

Evangeline just grinned. "That's even cooler," she said. "My hair is just…it's literally brown. I dye it because I like to be unique, and it's just been given to you."

Addison couldn't help but smile. As far as she could remember Zed was the only person who complimented her hair. And this girl she just met was complimenting her.

"Thank you," she said with a small blush. "Listen, Evangeline, you're really really nice and also really pretty and seem way too cool to be someone who I could talk to."

Evangeline just smiled. "Thanks, but I think you're really cool and pretty. And you also have a boyfriend."

Addison laughed lightly. She definitely hadn't realized she was being flirted with. "I'm sorry," she joked. "But he's really cute, so I guess it makes up for me not being gay."

Zed wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her cheek. "I have an inkling you're talking about me?"

Addison rolled her eyes jokingly at Evangeline. "Look, people brought you water," she said. "Drink up and get out of my sight. I'm making friends."

Zed laughed lightly. "Okay. I'll see you in few, Gorgeous."

He kissed her cheek once more, before jogging off toward the field.

"Is that a nickname or something?" Evangeline asked.

Addison just shrugged. "I guess it is. I don't mind, considering he's paying homage to my undeniable beauty."

Evangeline laughed heartily. She pulled out her phone and offered it to Addison, saying, "Well new friend, I gotta get back to my team but we should keep in touch."

"I hope you're being serious because I will text you."

Evangeline laughed again as they swapped phone numbers. "Good luck out there, Mighty Shrimp," she said as she began to head to the Warriors end of the field.

"Thanks, enjoy it when we win."

* * *

' _wereinzombieland' added to their story._

 _Zed stood on camera, taking a long sip of his water bottle. He then turned and smiled at the camera. "Hi, I just wanna say thanks to everyone who sent water. There's so much here, it's really great. You're all amazing."_

 _From the field one of his teammates called for him. "Gotta go. Wish me luck!"_

* * *

Aside from the cheerleaders and a select few people, no one was allowed on the sidelines. Somehow Eliza, Bree, Bonzo, and Zoey had managed to get to the front row, directly behind the Seabrook benches and tent. And in the front bench behind the cheerleaders was Addison's family.

She had gone up in the stands to greet her friends before she saw them. Or rather, they saw her. Her cousin Anthony had called her out first. "Yo! Is that Addy-Catty?"

"Addy-Catty?" Eliza questioned quietly.

Addison just rolled her eyes. "It's a stupid thing my family calls me. I dressed up as a cat when I was three and Bucky called me 'Addy-Catty' and now they won't stop."

"You're family's here?" Bree asked worriedly.

"Addison!" her cousin Mikey called.

Addison nodded regretfully. "Bucky probably invited them. I should go say hi."

"You want backup?" Eliza asked.

"No offense, but if you come it'll be a hell storm."

Eliza grinned proudly and stood up. "All the more reason to come," she stated. "I'll be back guys."

She looked her arm in Addison's, and together they skipped playfully to Addison's family. When they got there they were in a fit of giggles.

"Hi family," Addison said giddily. "This is my friend Eliza."

They all seemed a little shocked. "I didn't know you were…you're here," Raina stated.

Addison laughed lightly. "I left on Thursday," she explained. "I'm not here to chat though, because I still hate you all."

Eliza whistled lowly. "Perky von Cheerstick's got some balls."

Addison giggled again. "Also I'm here working, so see you in Seabrook maybe."

"Working?" her Aunt Carla asked.

"Addison is defensive statistician," Eliza answered. "They wouldn't let her do offense because she has a tendency to get distracted when she sees Zed. Especially in his football tights."

"Shut up Eliza." After a beat, Addison grinned and said, "It's true. Though today he's playing probably the whole game, so I'll have to pay extra attention."

"Zed's playing the whole game?" her dad asked.

When Addison nodded, her mother asked, "Didn't he have a heat stroke the last time?"

"We have lots of cases of water to keep him hydrated," Addison said proudly. "Okay seriously, I need to go."

"Bye Bucky's family," Eliza said happily.

They turned around and began walking away. Addison heard her cousin Chris say to his brother Nick, "She's pretty hot for a Zombie."

* * *

' _wereinzombieland' added to their story._

" _Hey y'all!" Eliza said excitedly. "I'm Eliza, taking over this instagram for this afternoon. Addison is down on the field, doing her 'thang. Stay tuned for more!"_

" _I am so excited for today guys," Eliza gushed. "Zed is my best friend and he's been raving about playing football his whole life. I'm so happy for him!"_

 _._

" _Have you all met Zoey? She's just the most adorable little bean ever!"_

 _Eliza pointed the camera at Zoey, zooming in on her cheering for her brother. She was waving her homemade pompoms around and screaming for him._

" _She's so adorable," Eliza said off camera._

* * *

Seabrook won the coin toss. From what Zed had told Addison, they were gonna defer the ball to the second half (they were going defense first).

Between the first shipment of water and the start of the game, they had gotten more water than they knew what to do with. Addison and Taylor stacked them in the shape of a throne and took pictures posing as royals.

When the game started and Addison and Taylor had to move toward the sidelines to do their jobs, the offense team took up space on the throne. Tomas sat on the throne while the rest crowded around as they went over the first few plays.

The game went at a snail's pace. By halftime it was tied 7-7. The guys had gone into the locker room and Addison went into the stands to chat with her friends some more. Once the halftime performance was over Addison went back down to go over her sheets.

Someone ran up behind her and wrapped their arms around her neck, shouting excitedly, "Best fwend!"

Addison shrieked and glanced behind herself to see Evangeline grinning at her widely. "There's no one fun on my sidelines! I missed you!"

Addison laughed and turned around, hugging Evangeline. "I love my sidelines," she stated. "I've got my best friends back there, and my friends here who keep on making me laugh and distracting me. And of course, my boyfriend, who's playing almost the whole game."

Evangeline faked a pout. "I wanna be in a relationship! You don't have any gay friends you could hook me up with?"

"All my gay friends are gay guys," Addison said with a shrug. "And I have like three friends who are girls."

Addison turned around and pointed at Zed's main cheering section. They all cheered and waved back.

"My stupid family is right there but don't look at them," Addison said. "They're here for my cousin, who's captain of the cheer team."

"Oh, family drama," Evangeline whistled lowly. "You'll have to tell me all about it someday."

Addison grinned slightly. "Maybe," she said.

"When are you guys going back to Seabrook?"

"Monday morning. It's such a long drive."

Evangeline grinned and elbowed Addison. "A ten hour bus ride with your boyfriend sounds like it'll keep it lively."

Addison let out a laugh. "On the ride down we took turns napping," she pointed out. "Plus we've been dating for like, two months."

Zed came up and wrapped his arms behind her, kissing her cheek lovingly. "Best two months of my life."

Addison giggled and pushed him away. "How do you keep doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Jumping in right when we're talking about you," Addison explained. "Like some cheesy romantic movie."

"Or a beautifully written fan fiction."

Addison looked at Zed weirdly but didn't say anything otherwise.

"Okay, you gotta go you're all sweaty."

"I love you," Zed said and kissed her cheek again.

Addison turned her head to him to peck his lips. "Do me a favor and kick their asses."

* * *

' _wereinzombieland' started a live video. Watch it before it ends!_

" _Hello everybody!" Eliza said excitedly. "You've all been waiting anxiously, so since there's four minutes left in the game—"_

 _Off camera. Zoey said grumpily, "In football that's twenty minutes to an hour."_

 _Eliza just nodded. "I figured might as well go live. Well it was Addison's idea considering I have really no idea what I'm doing on here, but she can't go live."_

 _Zoey popped her head in the corner and looked at the phone curiously. "Are they talking to us?" she asked, pointing at the continuous list of names and comments crowding the screen._

 _Off screen, Bree nodded. "It's a livestream, so people all over the world are watching and talking with you guys."_

"Giz zugaluh _."_

 _Eliza tilted the camera to show Bonzo—and by extension Zoey—sitting on the bench. "That big fella is Bonzo. He only speaks Zombie and is awesome."_

 _Bonzo grinned and waved at the camera. Eliza turned it back to herself and explained, "He said 'how times have changed' which is so right."_

" _So anyway," Eliza went on. "It's on timeout right now and tied still. The score is…13-14, Seabrook is leading. It's because Zed is awesome and got us two extra points instead of just one. I don't think he's going back in yet. From what I can see he's really really overheated."_

 _Eliza flipped the camera and pointed it in Zed direction. "He's sitting on the bench with Addison pouring water over his head," she explained. "Hopefully he won't even need to go back in. If the defense holds up and we get the ball back, we can either prolong the hold or they might just call it."_

 _She flipped the camera again and smiled. "The game is back and we're on defense," she said. "One minute and counting."_

 _Zoey popped her head on the corner. "Zed's not going in. I think he's doing offense for the rest of the game."_

 _Eliza nodded along. "He looks more Zombie now. Before his face was all gross and red and human."_

" _Nasty."_

 _Eliza nodded thoughtfully. "You guys want me to stay on through the rest of the game? I kinda want to watch but I can multitask."_

* * *

The Warriors had managed to completely get past the defense and score a touchdown with no extra points within forty seconds. It was a crushing blow, and even worse when Zed didn't go out on the field.

"Are you okay? Do you feel sick?" Addison asked him.

Zed shook his head. "It's to throw them off," he whispered. "I mean c'mon. I'm sure they've heard about me. So if I look sick and go out 'against my will', they'll think I won't be in any shape. And then 'bamm!' We just need one good play, Addy."

She raised her eyebrow. "Are you sure you're fine? You didn't look so good not too long ago." Before he could say anything smart she added, "I swear to God if you say ouch I'll make you regret it."

Zed laughed heartily. The referee on the field blew he whistle (for the end of the play). Zed leaned down and pecked Addison's lip. "I'll be fine, don't worry," he said.

He pulled his helmet on, turning his head slightly when Coach called his name. "I love you!" Zed called as he headed toward the field.

It was slow moving, like Seabrook was stalling the game. Zed did more defensive work while the others moved their way down field. The Warriors took at least four plays to figure out they were focusing heir defense on the wrong player and shifted their attention more centrally. When there was around fifty seconds left (and second and goal with eleven yards to the end zone), the ball was thrown to Zed.

The touchdown wasn't anything magical, but the two extra points Zed also scored were. It had put Seabrook in a three point lead with under thirty seconds left in the game. It was the Warriors call if they wanted to try for another touchdown (which they did), after they called their final countdown.

Addison wasn't close enough to hear exactly what Coach was saying to the team. That and how loud the crowd was—excited with Seabrook's lead and how close the game was to ending—and the cheerleaders not far behind her. She did catch enough to understand the plan—Zed and two others were going to try for a interception and another touchdown while the other four would be defending.

And Zed did get an interception. And another touchdown. And an extra point. It was all so beautiful, Addison couldn't believe it. He had blocked a wide receiver, jumped up and caught the ball mid air. Then took off down the field practically unstopped.

The score was at 19-29 (Seabrook lead) and less than eleven seconds left. The referees called it a game and the crowd exploded. It took Addison a second to realize that they had actually won and were State Champions. Her legs took control, carrying her across the field. She charged toward Zed, which probably wasn't allowed but who cared they were State Champions.

Zed saw her coming and opened his arms just before she reached him, nearly falling over as she jumped him. There was so much commotion around them but neither noticed. Addison grinned up at him with a soft and proud smile. "I can't believe you won," she whispered.

Zed grinned and exclaimed, " _We_ won!" He leaned down to kiss her and knocked his helmet against her forehead, making the both of them laugh.

One of their teammates came up to Addison and asked, "Can I see your phone?"

"Eliza has it," she said offhandedly.

Zed pulled off his helmet and gave Addison a smile before leaning down and kissing her. It was sweet even though he was musty and his lips tasted like sweat. Everything felt perfect—they were State Champions, they were together, and it felt like things might actually be looking up in both their lives.

It all ended when their team dumped the cooler of Gatorade over their heads.


	21. key lime pie

Even though it had been sitting out all afternoon, the Gatorade is freezing cold. It's like an electric shock jolting through his body, zapping through faster than when his Z-Band went offline.

Zed dropped Addison and bolted for the locker room, hoping to get there and wash off the lime beverage before it can change him. He already knew he was too late when he felt himself losing control over his body. It's like the monster inside of him is shoving him into a dark closet with no exits, no way to get out. He can see and hear everything, but has no control over himself.

The Gatorade irritated his skin and made his Zombie side angry. He let it a loud and guttural growl as he burst through the locker room door.

He collapsed on the bench, fighting against his Zombie side trying to break free.

"Zed!"

The sound of Addison running after him was enough to make the both of them stop. Zed didn't want her coming anywhere near him in his unstable state. His Zombie side couldn't decide between eating her or marking his territory on her. Zed couldn't decide which was worse though.

"No!" he growled out, trying to get as far away from her as possible. His Zombie side had other plans, still wanting a taste of the human.

He managed to get to the stalls before Addison burst into the locker room, followed by what sounded like his entire team.

 _Brains…_

"No!" he shouted again.

"Zed," Addison said pleadingly on the other side of the stall. "Open the door, Zed."

"A… _Addiska_ …" he groaned out.

 _Mine…human…_ _ **mine**_ _._

Zed closed his eyes tight and practically pulled out his own hair. It felt like his Zombie was beating him up inside, knocking the air out of him and bruising him all over. It hurt everywhere, made him weak all over. He was getting to the point where he'd lose complete control of himself. Where he'd be subjected to anything his Zombie wanted.

"Open the door Zed or…" Addison paused, then said confidently, "or I'll crawl under the door and open it myself."

" _No,_ " he growled out.

"What's going on?" one of the guys asked.

"Should we get Zombie Patrol?"

"No!" Addison exclaimed. "I can handle this. Zed's not dangerous."

' _Yes I am!_ ' He groaned in response. He could barely speak through. He felt tired and winded and down for the count, unable to fight against his Zombie.

A second later, Addison came from under the stall door. A million thoughts raced through his mind, all from his Zombie and all sick and sinister. Zed needed to get away, to keep her safe from his Zombie who wanted to eat her or kiss her or do dozens of other things that made him sick. Zed forced himself back against the wall, and she just rolled her eyes. "Stop being dramatic," she stated. "You've barely turned, and I'm sure we can just wash it off and it-it will be fine."

She reached out for his arm and he flinched away. The closer she got the easier it'd be for him to attack her. He didn't want another incident like the last, when he sheared her lip open.

"Zed," she said in a soft voice. "I know you won't hurt me. You'd never hurt me."

Fighting against his Zombie hurt. Zombie Zed, while still being Zed, hadn't just played almost an entire football game. He was bigger and stronger than Zed, had more of a fight inside of him and was constantly angry. He wouldn't let his Zombie win, giving him control of himself. He didn't want to sit back idly while his Zombie had his way with Addison.

She stepped closer cautiously. She touched his arm and the hairs on him stood on end. Her hands were warm and soft and her fingers were still slick with Gatorade. It didn't anger his Zombie, though. Instead it settled him down.

"It hasn't yet sunken in," she told him. "You can wash off your skin, get it out of your hair and change your clothes. You'll be _fine_."

The way she looked at him—confident in herself and her words with her eyes all big and blue and sparkling and a soft smile on her face—made him melt all around, both himself and his Zombie side.

Addison unlocked the stall door, grabbed his wrist and pulled him to the showers. No one questioned her as they both got in the shower stall and Addison turned on the water. The first jet was freezing cold but neither of them noticed. It felt so rejuvenating to Zed as he regained control of himself.

The water warmed up slowly and both of them got under the spray. "You're getting all wet," Zed said in a raspy voice.

"I don't want you to go all Zombie when I give you a hug or a kiss or anything."

"Do you feel better?" Addison asked.

Zed nodded, his hair flinging water drops on her face.

"That's good," she said. "Scrub your hair, then I think you'll be all good."

 _Addiska…mine…_

"I should warn you, my Zombie side is not something you can just mess around with."

Addison gave him a half smile. "I know you won't hurt me, Zed," she said confidently.

"What if I do?"

"Then it was probably an accident and I wouldn't hold it against you," she said pointedly.

He opened his mouth to say something but she just shook her head. "Stop it. I'm not leaving just because of one tiny incident," she told him. "I'm fine, okay? Stop worrying about me, and start scrubbing your hair. You don't want the Gatorade to soak in your scalp."

Zed sighed but didn't protest. A few minutes later they stepped out of the stall dripping water on the floor. "What happened?" Coach demanded.

"Nothing," Addison said before Zed could answer. "We're fine. Right Zed?"

Zed nodded a bit too quickly. "Just a minor mishap, no worries," he said.

One of the juniors raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you all…Zombie a few minutes ago?"

"I don't think we need to worry about that," Addison said.

Zed nodded in agreement. "If something were wrong, I'd tell you." He wouldn't, actually. "Now let's get out there and celebrate! Let's go Might Shrimp! Break!"

After a pause, they all chanted, "On five! Whoo!"

* * *

There were a few interviews with news crews and college recruiters. Zed got stopped by most of them, something he'd never dreamed of happening. Colleges were impressed with the freshman who managed to bring a consistent losing team to State Champions, who scored two touchdowns within two minutes. He still had three and a half years of high school and yet he was getting offers from universities all over the country.

It was a bit overwhelming. He told all the college recruiters the same thing: he couldn't make any promises at the moment, he couldn't make any decisions without consulting his dad, and that he'd keep them in mind for the future.

The trophy presentation was an hour after the game ended. The cheerleaders had been entertaining the crowd for most of it, launching championship shirts and giving out other free merchandise. Everyone was so ecstatic, it was hard for the game officials to get everyone silent to start.

Addison and Taylor stood with the cheerleaders while the football team stood on the makeshift stage. Zed didn't listen to everything they said, just grinned for the cameras. It was a long speech about how far they came and all the victories they accomplished during the season.

When they presented Coach with the championship trophy, Zed was pretty sure the coach was crying or close to it. There was another long speech, where he called out everyone and their contribution and everything.

Zed just wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep. He was reasonably tired: playing almost a full game then risking death by lime. The protective gear was starting to weigh him down and he had no idea where he had dropped his helmet, something he'd need to find or have to replace.

He mostly just went through the motions, smiling when needed, and nodding along to conversations he couldn't keep track of. A little after the sun set, they got sent to the locker rooms and the visitors from Seabrook were making their way to the buses.

Zed made a pit stop to where his friends and sister were still seated. Addison was up in the bleachers but was occupied with Eliza, the two of them doing something on the human's phone (something that was probably related to Instagram). Just as he had hoped, Zoey noticed him first, moving up the railing and peering down at her brother.

"Zed!" she cried excitedly. "You won! You won! I'm so happy for you!"

Zed laughed and grinned at her. "You liked the game, Zoe?"

"No duh!" she stated. "It was so wild! First you were here, then there, then you were running and blocking and smashing heads! It was _so_ much better than your other games."

Zed grinned at her wider. "I am so tired, Zoe. I cannot wait to eat."

"Yeah but you're always hungry," she said pointedly to her brother.

Zed shrugged, considering she had a point. "Me and Daddy made you some brownies," Zoey said. "For after the game, 'cause you're always so hungry. But you have to share with your team."

"Well come on down," Zed said. "And bring the brownies too."

"How do I get down?"

"Just jump," Zed said with a shrug. "I'll catch you, don't worry."

Zoey climbed up onto the railing, balancing on the bar for a second before jumping off and into Zed's waiting arms. A second later Addison came running to the railing.

"What the hell guys?" she called down to them. "All I see is Zoey jumping off this nine or ten foot railing."

The siblings giggled lightly. "Zoey brought some food for the guys so we're going to the locker room," Zed called.

"Wait for me!" Addison called.

Zoey looked at her brother and asked, "Do you have to put me down so you can catch her too?"

"No way!" Addison called. "I'm taking the stairs!"

"Like a human," Zed whispered.

Zoey nodded in understanding.

Addison disappeared from sight, then Zed called up for Eliza. When she came up to the railing, Zed said to her, "I'm taking Zoey with me for a second. Can you please make sure the bus doesn't leave without her?"

Eliza nodded. "I got you, don't worry."

Zed carried his little sister into the hall leading to the locker room. Addison came around a moment later, typing on her phone. She looked up at them and grinned.

"I hope you guys don't mind if I capture this on video," she asked, waving her phone for them.

The siblings shook their heads. Zed set his sister on the ground and moved to the locker room. He opened the door a crack and called in, "Is everyone decent?"

He got a few 'yes's and one extremely crude comment that he'd never repeat. Zed motioned for Zoey, taking her hand in his and stepping into the locker room.

"My little sister brought you guys something!" he exclaimed. "I hope you're all wearing pants!"

Everyone turned at the announcement. Zed lead the two of them toward one of the benches, then lifted her up so she was standing on it. "My dad and I made brownies yesterday!" Zoey announced. "Because the game was right around lunch time and it'll be awhile before dinner, so there's something to hold you over until then."

"You made us brownies?" Eric gushed.

Zoey nodded. "We used lots of chocolate because chocolate is delicious and Zed wasn't home to eat all the chocolate," Zoey explained. "And there's eggs in there, in case anyone in here is vegan. And there's lots of chocolate chips! I hope you guys like them!"

Zoey slipped off her backpack and unzipped it, pulling out an extra large container bulging with brownies. All the guys gushed and Zoey smiled proudly. They all came around and got brownies, instructed specifically by Zoey to get only two until everyone got some.

"You're not gonna get some Zed?" Bryce asked him.

"This is my little sister, I get my very own batch."

"Obviously," Zoey stated. "You guys are cool, but Zed is my number one."

Zed smiled and hugged his sister. "Ew," Zoey whined. "Get off me, you smell bad."

"I did just play a game, Zoe."

Zoey shook her head, wiggling out of his arms. "You smell like…" she leaned in and sniffed dramatically. "Like the forbidden fruit."

"The what?" one of the guys asked.

"It's okay, Zoe," Zed said. "It was an accident."

"An accident!" Zoey exclaimed. She jumped off the bench and ran to Addison hiding behind her legs. "What happened?" she screamed from behind Addison's legs.

"What's wrong, Zoey?" Addison asked.

Zoey glanced up at Addison worriedly. "You smell like it too," she stated.

"Zoey I'm fine," Zed stated.

"What's the forbidden fruit?" one of the guys demanded.

Zed spared them a glance before focusing on his sister. "Zoey, _I'm fine_. I didn't eat any, I'm clean. It isn't like what happened to Mom."

Addison threw him a fearful look and mouthed, ' _Your mom?_ '

"It's _always_ like that Zed!" Zoey cried. "I don't want to lose you too."

Seeing his little sister crying broke his heart in a million pieces. Zed stepped over the bench and moved to her, bending down so he was on her level. "If anything were going to happen to me, Zoe, it would've already," he told her softly. "I'm not gonna leave you alone, ever. You aren't getting rid of me."

Zoey launched herself forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and crying into his shoulder. Zed sighed and closed his eyes, pulling her up and hugging her against his chest.

* * *

Zed remembered hearing the story of the last time Seabrook won a State Championship. His parents were human then, both at Seabrook High.

His dad never played football but had once to impress his mom. He was terrible, but his mom found the whole gesture cute.

And they won a State Championship too, so that's a bonus.

* * *

Zed had carried Zoey out of the locker room and sat down with her against the hall wall. She had kept her head buried against his shoulder and cried for a few minutes. When she pulled up to look at him, her skin was all red and had faint blotches on them—a reaction to the lingering bits of lime on his jersey.

"Are you sure your okay?" Zoey asked.

Zed nodded. "Thanks to Addison," he said. "I was really freaking out, and she helped me calm down. I-I couldn't think clearly either. She got me in the shower to wash it off. Luckily I was wearing so much clothes it barely even soaked in my skin."

"You didn't change?" Zoey asked.

"I wasn't supposed to," Zed stated. "Plus I didn't want to worry the guys. Dumping the cooler is a huge thing with humans whenever they win a big game."

Zoey shook her head sadly. "Humans are weird."

"Not all of us." The two zombies looked up as Addison sat down next to them. She had a sad sort of smile on her face, her gaze focused on the ground. "Zed, I-I'm sorry for the way I was earlier."

Zed scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. "What're you talking about? You really saved me, Addy."

"I-I was a little…insensitive about the situation," she admitted. She didn't look up at them as she said quietly, "I didn't know about your mom."

"Well I didn't tell you…"

Addison just sighed. She hugged her knees to her chest. "I don't mean to intrude, and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but if you don't mind could you tell me about your mom?"

Zoey rested her head on her brother's shoulder. "She was the best," Zed said wistfully. "She was always smiling and happy and loved to dance and sing. She was positive and everyone on the street loved her. She was kinda like you, Addy. And when she was human she cheered just like you did."

"She was on newspapers," Zoey added. "One of the best cheerleaders Seabrook ever had. The Bucky of the 1950s."

Addison looked up at that. "The fifties?"

Zed nodded. "She graduated high school in 1953, went to school for five years. Then came back from college in…"

"Nineteen fifty-seven," Addison said.

"The outbreak was in 1965, and they finished the barrier the next year," Zed finished.

"What else about her?" Addison asked.

"Mom worked at night," Zed went on. "But somehow she was always there. She walked me to school and picked me up everyday. And she'd teach me something whenever I'd get bored. I didn't have friends when I was young—I started hanging out with Eliza because she was my tutor in learning English. She taught me how to sew and cook. Whenever I had a particularly bad day, we'd go out and she'd teach me to let go of my stress and anger and any emotion I had bottled up with football. We would sing and dance around the house, and go out exploring on the weekends."

"Get to the part when I was born," Zoey demanded.

Zed shushed her playfully. "So Zoey was born, and I was nine. Zoey was the cutest little baby in the world. She was just like Mom—always smiling and cooing whenever I'd sing to her. And we'd dance together once she could stand on her legs. When Mom had Zoey, it was a really big deal. There weren't too many Zombies who could have babies to begin with, and she was on her second one.

"Her boss, who was a human—a really nice human, like you—had come and visited her while she was in the Zombie hospital. You know, recovering from giving birth. But…but she never really recovered. After she had Zoey, Mom was really weak. She couldn't go back to work, which meant that Dad had doubled down on shifts. He went from being home sometimes to me barely even seeing him. She could barely do the things we'd normally do around the house together. Her friends would bring us big meals to keep us fed for the week—which was huge, considering they didn't really give Zombies the chance to earn money to buy anything."

Zed sighed softly. He closed his eyes and rested his head against Zoey's. "A few months after Zoey was born, Mom's boss came over and brought us all these foods and goodies. It was the nicest thing any human has ever done for any Zombie. I got in trouble in school a few weeks, so I had lost my 'dessert' privileges. That meant that the next time we had enough to have dessert, I couldn't have any."

Zed stopped, feeling his throat closing up at the memories. "Mommy's boss brought key lime pie," Zoey whispered, continuing the story in Zed's place. "She had two bites before the effects started. She turned Zombie, even though her Z-Band was online. And she…she came after me and Zed."

Zed sniffed and wiped a few tears off his cheeks. "We hid in a crawl space beneath the front steps for hours until the Zombie Patrol came. They couldn't…they couldn't get her to turn back normal and had to kill her in the street." Zoey finished.

Zed didn't stop the sob from escaping his throat. He remembered that night, six years before, vividly in his head. He hadn't known that Zombies would go after other Zombies. Then his own mother had turned and tried to eat them. He had balled up a sock and stuffed it in his sister's mouth to quiet her cries while they waited, freezing under the porch for hours, barely clothed and losing all hope for survival.

And when they killed her. It wasn't a quick and painless death—they had drawn it out, beating her down until she was screaming and writhing in pain. Then it was over. He was motherless.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell us about the lime thing?" Eric asked.

Zed simply shrugged. "I didn't want to kill you guys' mood," he explained. "It was a good day."

"Yeah, _was_ ," Eric noted. "We nearly killed you!"

"But you didn't, and that counts for something."

From the other side of the locker room, Bryce added, " _We_ didn't do anything, Addison did."

"You told her about it," Jamari, one of the sophomores on the team, argued. "Why couldn't you tell us?"

Zed rolled his eyes. "Yes, it's all my fault," he complained. "We don't even mention lime in my house. I don't go around screaming to the world all my life problems! Yes! Lime has the power to fucking kill Zombies! How do I know? Because it killed my mother!"

"Zed…" Eric started, getting ready to calm him down.

Zed didn't let him finish. "I was nine, guys," he went on. "I was just a little kid! Zoey doesn't even remember her, she was barely a year old!"

"Zed…"

Zed sniffed, rubbing his cheeks furiously as the tears kept on coming. "Don't 'Zed' me! You wanted to know, okay? My mom is dead because some stupid humans didn't care enough to tell _anyone_ that lime will make us go Zombie, and we won't turn back. That the Zombie Patrol will come and beat a rogue Zombie to death, in front of her two small children."

Zed started walking away quickly, grabbing his bag of clothes and gear and heading to the door.

"Zed, c'mon!"

Zed ignored them and left the locker room.

* * *

Naturally, Addison was the first to find him. It wasn't hard, considering he was sitting in the parking lot by the bus they had taken to get to the stadium.

And Addison just sat down beside him, leaving a few inches between them. They both sat there quietly, until a few minutes later Addison said to him, "Whenever I get the urge to hurt myself—like cutting—I just squeeze an ice cube in my hands."

Zed cocked his head. Addison opened her hand for him to see the handful of melting ice in her palm. "It's numbing and a little painful, but still harmless," she explained. "I did it so often that it's become a coping mechanism, for whenever I get a little depressive. It makes me feel a little better."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Addison shrugged, making a fist around the ice. "I don't like quiet. It makes me think a lot. And when I think a lot, _they_ come back. And when _they_ come back, I get the ice."

Zed nodded silently. After a second, he said quietly, "My mom had shown me all these ways to help me relieve any toxic emotions I was feeling. And after she died, I just…I couldn't do any of them. For a really long time. They just made me think of her, and how she was gone. And she wouldn't be coming back."

"And what changed?"

"Bonzo," Zed said. "He told me that I shouldn't stop doing things because I missed my mom. I should keep doing them to remember her."

Addison nodded.

Zed took a deep breath, feeling another rush of tears building up. "I just miss her, Addy," he said sadly. "She deserved better than that. She didn't deserve to go out like that—it should've been a fair match."

Addison nodded again, even though she didn't really understand what he was saying. Zed looked at Addison, his expression broken and his eyes watering. "What do you when it just hurts? It just hurts so much, Addy."

Addison wrapped her arm around his shoulder and pulled him into her side. "Cry," she whispered, feeling a tear trail down her cheek.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you were going through all the emotions while reading this. This was…this was a lot. Crying Zoey made my heart ache. Oh and Zed, wow.**

 **In other news, this seems like a good place to mention to check out my tumblr (under the same name fist-it-out). There, under my writing tags, you can find little snippets of future chapters and updates about what I'm doing with this story that I often forget to post here.**

 **As always read and review, and see you in two weeks with chapter 22.**


	22. up on the rooftop

Addison's ringer went off not long after. She pulled it out and saw that Eric was video calling her. Zed saw too.

"Why do you have Eric's number?" he questioned.

"We did a lot of projects together in eighth grade," Addison said with a shrug.

She answered the video call, leaving the camera on the sky. "Hi," she greeted, a little blandly.

"Where are you?" Eric demanded.

"North Carolina."

Eric rolled his eyes. "Have you seen Zed? He ran out the locker room and we've been looking everywhere for him!"

"Why do you just assume I know where Zed is?" Addison asked. "I didn't put a tracker in his neck."

"Have you or have you not seen him?"

Addison tilted her phone show Zed leaning against her shoulder. "We're in the parking lot, ready to leave whenever you guys show up."

Eric groaned and hung up. Addison put her phone on Zed's bag, then rested her head on top of his. "My ice is all melted," she stated. "There's just water in my hand."

"Do you feel better?" Zed asked quietly.

Addison just shrugged. "It'll pass, I guess," she said. "How are you doing?"

"I'm not crying anymore," Zed noted. "So that's a good sign."

Addison cracked a small smile. "Let's go on a date tonight," she suggested. "I need some Zed time. I haven't gone out with you in so long."

"We can't," he said sadly. "Team dinner at some fancy restaurant. I brought a tie and everything."

"I have a plan," Addison said, a bit disinterestedly. "Don't fill up too much on dinner. Leave the rest to me,"

"You know usually I plan the dates."

Addison sat up and lifted his head off her shoulder. "It's my turn," she said. "I'm just warning you, we're gonna end up talking about some heavy shit."

Zed frowned. "We gotta," Addison said. "It's important to know the deep and dark stuff, all the things that make us scared and sad and wanna cry."

"I'm pyrophobic."

Addison rolled her eyes. "I mean other stuff," she said. She could hear the team making their way toward them. "Save it for our date later, okay?"

She leaned forward and pressed their lips together softly, only pulling back once the team was close enough that she could distinguish voices.

* * *

Addison spent most of the bus ride doodling in her notebook. Then when they got back to the hotel and were instructed to clean up and be ready in two hours, she sat on her shared bed and doodled some more while the three guys in her room showered (separately).

Zed had gone first, which meant that for the fifteen minutes he spent in the shower she was left alone with the two other guys. It was fine at first, mostly them talking and playing on their phones. Once they finished though, they stared at Addison for a long while before asking their question.

"Are you doing homework? While we're on break?" Eric asked.

Addison shook her head. "I should," she admitted. "I missed like, a month of school."

Bryce nodded in agreement. "So if you aren't doing homework, what _are_ you doing?"

Addison smiled to herself, looking down at her open page. She was drawing around the words to _Someday_ , putting hearts and Zombie symbols she'd learned from Eliza. "Is just a journal," she told them, looking up with a sparkle in her eye. "Writing about my day or whatever comes to mind keeps me sane."

Eric snorted. Addison rolled her eyes. She didn't care enough to humor them. "I'm mostly drawing today," she said. "I have like four pages of just Zed making different expressions."

"Nasty."

Addison laughed lightly. "Sorry that I love my boyfriend," she joked.

"It's not even that you're so in love," Bryce complained.

"Even though some of it is," Eric added.

"You're both so all in our face with it," Bryce finished. "Making out on the field. What even is that?"

Addison just blushed and smiled to herself. "If you don't mind me, I'll just go back to my business."

It was silent for a few minutes. Addison busied herself on a new page, drawing mindlessly until she realized she had ended up drawing a face—a hyper-realistic one, much to her surprise. When she looked at it she couldn't even remember ever seeing the girl.

"Did you draw more Zed?" Eric asked.

Addison shook her head. "I drew _someone_ , I just don't know who it is."

"Isn't everything you imagine just something you've seen before in your life?" Bryce asked.

Addison shrugged. "I _feel_ like I've seen her, but I don't remember."

"Are you guys just bored?" Addison asked.

They both nodded quickly. "Zed's been in there _forever_ ," Eric whined.

Addison shrugged. "You don't wanna go first?" Bryce asked. "You know, lady's first and shit."

"I'm gonna take a while," Addison said. "It's gonna be a pretty long shower, and I need to shave like everywhere, considering I haven't done _that_ in a while. And I gotta do my makeup afterwards."

Eric scoffed. "You don't need makeup. You're already beautiful."

"Don't let Zed hear you, or he'll eat your brains."

Addison made a face at that. "Zed doesn't eat brains, guys."

"He's a Zombie, Addison," Bryce stated. "If he goes full Zombie, he'll eat your brains in a heartbeat."

Addison rolled her eyes. She closed her journal and gave them a stern look. "Zed's your friend, and you think he'd eat you? Do you have zero faith in him?"

"He's a _Zombie_ ," Bryce argued.

"He's your _friend_ ," she countered. "If you don't believe that your own friend wouldn't hold back from eating your brains, then you deserve to have your brains eaten."

Addison got off the bed and headed to the door, grabbing a pair of boots on her way out. "Where are you going?" Eric called as she left. Addison just gave them her middle finger without turning around.

Once she was out in the hall she slipped into her boots, silenced her phone, then made her way for the elevator. Addison hadn't meant to, but she ended up taking the elevator up to the top floor, then got off and used the stairs to get to the roof. She wasn't necessarily angry, just mildly pissed off and unreasonable upset.

It had started sometime between the end of the game and then. It was a downward spiral from ecstatic to a depressive episode. Addison knew for sure it was coming when she had been hanging with her friends and just couldn't connect with them. She knew she should be happy and smiling and laughing because they were her friends and they always had a way of making her smile. But she just couldn't, and it made her feel guilty and wrong inside. She put on a smile and faked it.

It didn't get better as the day went on. And she was especially irritable and upset—with herself and with the people around her. Addison just wanted some quiet, for once. She didn't typically like the quiet, didn't like the opportunity to think a lot and let the voices come back.

She found herself just staring off into the skyline, nothing particular running through her brain. It was actually a little calming, being in an unfamiliar city filled with unfamiliar people. Sitting on the edge of a 17-floored hotel, almost at the edge but not quite there. If Addison were to move a few feet closer, to lean too far over, it'd be all over.

* * *

 _I saw my family today. I hadn't realized that they'd all come to a stupid football game._

 _My mom and dad came with good reason: Dad's the chief of Zombie Patrol and a lot of them came down for the game. And Mom was either his plus one or came as mayor. Aunt Janet, Uncle Phillip, and my cousins came because of their brother, Bucky. I still can't think of a reason why my other cousins came, considering none of them knew I would be there._

 _They had called me over because they were just as surprised to see me as I was them. One of my friends went with me, and she just made it so much fun._

 _Eliza really inspired my confidence during that instance. I don't know what came over me but I knew it had something to do with her. It's like her ballsy attitude rubbed off on me. I don't know how to explain it._

 _That all happened before the game started. After the game, and after the bus for Seabrook left, I somehow ran into them again._

 _It was all very frustrating. I told them I didn't want to talk. I told them that I was due back at the bus so they wouldn't leave me, even though someone on there would make sure I got on (Zed or Taylor or someone else). The point is, even when I tried to leave they wouldn't let me. Mikey insisted that we needed to talk and makeup because we're family._

 _So I told him that I didn't think of them as family anymore. From the looks on their faces, it felt like the wrong thing to say. But it was true and they needed to know it. It's how I feel about them. You don't get to treat me like human garbage and then expect to be all buddy-buddy forever. Shit hurts._

* * *

"Addison?"

Addison didn't turn at the call of her name. "I'm over here," she called to her boyfriend.

"For the love of Z," he grumbled. He walked up behind her, tapping her shoulder to get her attention. "Addy, it's freezing out here!"

Addison shrugged. Zed sighed and draped her winter jacket over her shoulders. He sat down beside her, giving her an expectant look.

"How'd you know I was up here?" Addison asked.

Zed shrugged. "The guys told me you left angrily, so I figured you went outside somewhere." He let out a breath, watching it fog in front of him. "You're insane and love going outside when it's freezing."

"I like it when it's warm out too," Addison said.

"Ah," Zed said. "Any particular reason you left?"

"They were irritating me."

Zed snorted a laugh.

"It's not funny!" Addison exclaimed. "They were being jerks! They think you'd eat their brains if you went all Zombie."

"If they have any brains."

"Zed!"

Zed held his hands up in surrender, still laughing. "Addy, you don't have to get all irritated on my behalf. Truth be told, if I went full Zombie—like legit legit—I wouldn't have any control of my actions. And that's just a fact of life."

"You wouldn't hurt Eliza, or Bonzo, or Zoey."

"Zombies don't go after other Zombies."

"Your mom did." As soon as she said it, she regretted it. Zed's smiling face crumbled.

"Shit, Zed, I didn't mean it like that," she said quickly, trying her best to amend the situation. "I mean, it's true but it's…I didn't mean to say it. I'm sorry."

Zed just chewed his lip, not meeting her eyes. "I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I wasn't thinking, I didn't mean to say that. It was so ruthless and really _really_ low."

"Yeah," he agreed sadly. "It was _really_ hurtful, Addy."

He opened his mouth to say more but decided against it. "No, Zed, just say it," Addison told him. "I deserve to hear whatever you're thinking because what I just said was completely uncalled for."

Zed shook his head. "I'm not going to hurt your feelings," he told her. "That's not what we do. We don't hurt each other on purpose. You said something hurtful, you didn't mean to and you apologized. That's it."

"Oh my god," Addison breathed out. "Zed, you are such a good person."

Zed didn't respond to that. Addison reached out cautiously, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. "It's so hard to explain," she whispered. "But you just…you see the good in the world and in everyone. You don't add fire to the flame—"

He flinched slightly.

"Sorry," she amended. "I just say analogies and forgot how some of the words affect others."

"You're trying," he said. "You're doing your best, which is amazing already."

Addison sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. After a minute, Zed snaked his arms under her coat and around her, pulling her against his side.

"How do you say 'sorry' in Zombie Tongue?" Addison asked.

"If you're saying 'I'm sorry' it's ' _nedzny_ ' but if you just want the word 'sorry' then you use ' _zorgzig_ '," Zed told her.

" _Nedzny_ ," Addison said into his shoulder.

Zed rubbed her shoulder affectionately. "I know you are," he whispered.

Addison tried not to notice how he never said he forgave her.

* * *

Between the three guys in her room, Addison took the shortest shower. Once she had finished getting cleaned and moisturizer and everything, she got changed in the bathroom. North Carolina wasn't as cold as Seabrook but still significantly colder than usual, where it wasn't snowing but it was close to it.

Principal Lee had been very clear with the dress code for the night, though. Everyone had to wear either pink or blue or Seabrook High colors. For legal reasons, she couldn't tell Addison she had to wear a dress. But Addison knew that she had to wear a dress.

She got dressed first, leaving her hair wrapped up in a towel so it didn't drip onto her dress. Addison had to wear thick, ankle length stockings that were nude to keep her legs warm. Her socks and boots went over the length of the stockings, which was perfect (no strips of skin exposed to the cold). She wore a long sleeve leotard under her dress, which itself was long sleeve and gorgeous.

Addison remembered exactly when she bought it: while she was online shopping with her mother over the summer, looking for winter clothes. They fought over it, Addison instantly in love with it and her mom hating it. In the end, they asked Dale for a second opinion, to which he'd said for them to buy it, try it, and see how they liked it. And once Addison had tried it on, Missy had softened up and let her keep the dress.

Her dress had a white top with poofy long sleeves and a lace trim around he neck. The collar was pastel pink as well as the mock bow tie and mock button seams, the belt, the skirt park, and the cuffs of her sleeves. Her socks were just white and barely above her boots, which were also pastel pink. They were higher than what she was used to (and new), with mock shoelaces and a lacey, ruffle trim along the top.

Of course, while she was doing her makeup she was only wearing her socks. It took longer to do her makeup than anything else. The boys were getting antsy on the other side of the door too, knocking and pounding on the wood and generally getting on her nerves.

"C'mon Addison! I gotta take a leak!"

Addison rolled her eyes. "It is _my_ turn with the bathroom! You had your chance!"

"Addison!"

It went on like that for some time. Finally, after the fifth or sixth one, Addison was beyond annoyed and opened the door to glare at them. She had only finished with her foundation and blush—leaving her left with her eye makeup (including her eyebrows) and lips. "You have five minutes," she told them, stepping out of the bathroom with her hairdryer. "Make it fast."

"Thank you!" Eric exclaimed before running into the bathroom and slamming the door shut behind himself.

Addison went to the mirror in the room, plugged in her hairdryer, unwrapped her hair and went to work on drying it. She didn't hear when Bryce or Zed called her the first two times, only after Zed came up and poked her in the side.

She turned off the dryer and tilted her head at him. "Is there a problem?" Addison asked,

"Yeah why are you being so mean and taking so long?" Bryce grumbled.

Addison rolled her eyes and focused her attention on Zed. "Are you almost finished?" Zed asked. "It's nearly time to go."

Addison shook her head. "I need to finish my makeup and do my hair still," she told him.

"I thought your hair was done?"

Addison looked in the mirror at her messy makeshift top knot. "You think this is a hairstyle?" Addison asked skeptically.

Zed smiled sweetly and said, "If it's not, then you make it look _really_ good."

Bryce groaned in the background. "Dude, she's already your girlfriend. You don't have to kiss her ass anymore."

"I'm not kissing her ass," Zed protested. "I'm complimenting a beautiful young woman, who just so happens to be my girlfriend."

"Girls tend to like compliments," Addison added. "It's kinda how Zed has a girlfriend and you don't."

"You guys always bring that up don't you?"

Addison just shrugged with a smile. Eric came out of the bathroom a second later and Bryce went in. "You have two and a half minutes!" she called in a sing-song voice.

She grinned then looked back at Zed. "You really like this? I just did this so I could do my makeup," she said.

Zed nodded. "It looks really good, especially with your dress. Which is also like…wow."

Addison smiled, stood on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "My mom bought it for me," she told him. "She hated it at first, but seemed to warm up to it when she saw it on me."

"I would've too," Zed said. "You have the power to make everything look good, and right now you look spectacular."

Addison laughed lightly. "You should see me when I've got my makeup done and my shoes on."

"Aren't your legs gonna be cold!" Eric called from his bed.

Addison lifted her leg onto the counter and pulled at her stockings, revealing her pale legs (paler than the stockings, at least). "Huh," he said. "You seem to have thought of everything."

Addison grinned and put her stockings back under her socks. She put her leg down and went back to her hair. "If you say it looks good, then I believe you," Addison said to Zed. "I'm keeping it like this."

* * *

Addison may have been the only girl on the bus with the football team, but lucky for her the cheerleaders were also invited to the dinner. By their stroke of luck, Zed and Addison ended up sitting with Bucky and the Aceys.

"You're the best dressed here," Zed whispered to her. "You look prettier than anyone else. And way more put together than any of the cheerleaders."

"I can hear you," Bucky teased. "Stop blowing smoke up her ass, man."

Addison just rolled her eyes. Zed leaned in and kissed her temple.

Addison felt pretty confident in her outfit, anyway. All through the hallways and the restaurant, people stared at her and Zed as they passed. Aside from the obvious of a Zombie (out past curfew)—dressed in pastel pink slacks and pink slip on Vans and a white button down, pink tie and matching suspenders—walking hand in hand with a white haired (and tastefully dressed) girl, Addison could hear some of the patrons and cheerleaders commenting on how they looked.

Dinner went fairly simple. Addison spent most of it listening in on the conversations around her, between the Aceys talking to each other or to Bucky, or some of the Aceys talking with Zed. An hour into the dinner, Principal Lee and Mayor Missy gave speeches Addison didn't really listen too. After all the plates had been cleared, the football team was called up to center stage and awarded with championship medals. Addison made sure to get lots of pictures of Zed getting his metal, and getting awarded as MVP (with a trophy and everything).

They got back to their hotel close to 11 P.M. Coach had made sure they were all in their rooms before going back to his. Addison waited ten minutes after he left before getting up and grabbing her bag. "C'mon Zed," she said as she put her shoes back on.

"Where do you think you guys are going?" Eric demanded. "It's curfew."

Zed shrugged. "It's not like it's the first time I've snuck out after curfew," he said. "Either of us, actually. We'll be back eventually."

"No!" Bryce commanded. "I'm not getting in trouble for your bullshit! You guys are staying here."

Zed folded his arms. "You aren't my father, and therefore cannot make me stay," he stated.

"If you're caught out, our whole room will get in trouble," Eric reminded them.

Zed shook his head. "We're going, end of story."

Addison held onto Zed's arm, squeezing it slightly. "You guys can't make us stay here," she told them. "We know what we're risking, and we'll be careful. We're going on a date, and you guys can't stop us."

"To hell we can't."

Zed squinted at them. "I'd like to see you try."

No one moved. Then a second later, Zed and Addison broke for the door just as the two guys sprung off the bed and chased after them. The couple ran out of the room and down the hall, bursting through the stair door and sliding down the rail. When they looked behind them they weren't being followed and breathed out in relief.

"I thought they might actually stop us for a second there," Addison said between heavy breaths. "I can't even walk in these shoes, I didn't think I'd be able to run!"

Zed laughed breathily. "Sorry about that," he apologized.

After they spent a few minutes catching their breaths, Zed got off the railing and held out his hand for Addison. "So, Gorgeous, where are you taking me?"

Addison smirked. "It's still a surprise," she said. She got up and grabbed his hand, walking toward the rest of the stairs. "C'mon Cutie."

* * *

 **A/N: So if you don't already, I strongly recommend checking out my tumblr (under the same name) for information about this story and updates. I'm pretty sure there's a story tape with this story title that can get you all the information you want. (insert super cute smiling emoji!)**

 **see you next Thursday!**


	23. only for you

**A/N: Last chapter! But if you want to find out what happens next because there still several plot points left unanswered, make sure to check out ' _Always had a Feeling_**!'

 **Grace: I am sure no actual high school would ever allow that, but hey this is fan fiction.**

 **As always, read and review, enjoy the chapter and hope you liked this story!**

* * *

They ended up at the beach.

Zed was beyond exhausted, but he hadn't spent time with Addison (alone) in so long. He'd lost track of the days but knew it was close to—or more than—a month. The point stood: he'd rather take a midnight stroll on the beach with her then catch up on sleep.

It was a long walk from the hotel to the closest beach, especially considering they took a few wrong turns here and there. Once they got to the beach, they took off their shoes and stuffed their socks inside, then walked onto the sand.

They walked hand in hand along the beach, walking through the water and the moist sand. Addison was on the side closer to the water, but the wet sand felt weird and oddly satisfying through his toes and on his heels.

"I've missed you," he told her. "Like, a lot. I'm glad we're doing this."

Addison nodded along. "Me too," she agreed. "I brought drinks and snacks from the mini fridge in the hotel and the concession stand at the stadium. And a blanket, so we can have a makeshift midnight picnic."

Zed smiled at her. "You're always thinking ahead, aren't you."

Addison just smiled and shrugged sheepishly. "I know you're really tired, so I appreciate you still coming along instead of rescheduling."

Zed tilted his head down and kissed the side of her head. "I told you I missed you," he said. "I mean it. I feel like it's been forever since we've had 'Zeddison time'."

"Zeddison time?" Addison asked with a raised eyebrow and a slight laugh.

Zed nodded. "Yes, Zoey and all our friends started referring to us as 'Zeddison'."

"I like the sound of that," Addison stated. "Zeddison, has a nice ring to it."

Zed smiled and nodded with her. They walked in silence for a few minutes, the ocean as background noise and just enjoying each other's presence.

After an adequate six and a half minutes of silence, Addison asked, "Hey Zed?"

"Yes Gorgeous."

"What're you afraid of?" Addison asked curiously.

"Lots of things," Zed said. "Fire scares me to death."

Addison nodded. "Yeah, I know that," she said. "What else?"

"Um…creepy crawlies freak me out," he said. "I've never been on an airplane or boat, so I'm a little anxious about those. Wouldn't say I'm scared, just cautious and worried. Uh…right now I'm afraid of losing you."

Addison smiled softly and squeezed his hand. "Why are you like that today? You keep on saying all these nice things and making me feel really good about myself. I mean I love it, but why?"

"I'm scared of losing you," he repeated. He stopped walking and moved in front of her, taking her other hand in his. "I was never more scared than on Thanksgiving, Addy. I nearly lost you and I…it was all so terrifying. The thought of living a life without you hurt so much. I just—I can't do that."

"I don't wanna live my life without you either," she said truthfully. "I…I only went to rehab—I only wanted to get better—so I could keep being with you."

Zed cracked a small smile. "We're a mess," he muttered, stepping closer to her.

"Just a bit," Addison breathed out. She stood on her toes and pressed a soft and short kiss to his lips.

"What else are you afraid of? That doesn't involve me."

Zed moved back to her side, this time standing closer to the ocean. He thought for a minute of what made him shake and tremor and want to vomit, what made him cry and scream.

The salt water lapped at his ankles as they walked, swinging their hands mindlessly. The roar of the ocean and the sand between his toes kept him sane in a sense.

"My Zombie," he admitted quietly. "My Zombie scares me to death."

Addison tilted her head, prompting him to go on. "It's like…it's like having another person living inside me," he explained quietly. "Filled with rage and vengeance, bigger and stronger and hell-bent on unleashing all his pant up anger on the closest human."

"Forgive me for saying this, but aren't you and your Zombie the same person?"

Zed looked at her seriously and said, "That's what scares me the most."

He let go of her hand and shoved his own in his pockets. "He's a creature of…of all my anger and hate. I don't ever feel this emotions, because they get immediately stored up in him. And…and when he makes 'an appearance', per say, seeing all the little moments that makes him so mad—that makes _me_ so mad—it's just really scary."

Zed didn't look up to meet her eyes. They both had stopped walking, the waves washing over their feet. Zed felt her reach into his pocket, grab his hand and give it a reassuring squeeze.

"It's okay to be scared," she told him.

Zed sighed sadly. "He hates me too," he added. "And he loves you, which is like the only thing we have in common. But I don't think he loves in the same way that I do."

"What'd you mean?"

"He wants you the way animals do," Zed explained begrudgingly. "You're…in his eyes, you're a suitable 'mate'."

"Oh."

"Which is also why I try to get away from you whenever I lose control," Zed added. "I don't want him to breed you."

Addison made a grossed out face and sound. "That sounds…gross, if I'm being honest," she told him.

Zed nodded. "He's fucking insane," he breathed out. "I hate him, so much."

"But you can't get rid of him either."

Zed nodded. "That's what scares me."

Addison sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder. They walked in a comfortable silence for a few minutes again. To Zed, it felt like after every heavy topic they'd discuss, they'd take a break to get out of that aching and hurting mindset.

"What're you afraid of?" Zed asked.

Addison didn't even have to think about it. "Thunderstorms," she said. "When I was little, and my parents would be working, I'd stay at Bucky's house. And his siblings would tell us scary stories during thunderstorms, with murder and and gruesome deaths and Zombies—no offense or anything. And it was always during a thunderstorm, what a coincidence. And I'd never be able to sleep because I was terrified that some hideous monster would emerge from the thunderstorms or the shadows—shadows also freak me out. And they'd come and make sure I wouldn't live to see the next day."

"That's…that's horrible," Zed said.

Addison nodded. "I remember a few of their stories would make me cry or hide up in a tree—if we were outside—and they'd have to call my mom or dad to come calm me down. And then I'd get home and get scolded for embarrassing them or acting like a baby. That was around the time I stopped depending on my parents to make me feel better."

Zed sighed sadly. "My mom always made me feel better," he said sadly. "In Zombietown, thunderstorms sound like when the Z-Patrol would come to take random Zombies. I don't know for what, but I knew they'd never come back. And the ones who did were severely messed up. I could see it all happen from my bedroom window. And they always came during the rain—Eliza always said it was so that the rain would wash blood from the streets. She's a freak like that."

Addison nodded along. "I was more scared of the Z-Patrol than the actual thunderstorms, but hearing thunder meant they were coming," Zed went on. "They never took kids, but I was always so terrified they'd take one of my parents. Mommy…she'd wrap me up in a blanket and tell me stories—the same stories I tell Zoey for bedtime—and we'd drink some warm milk and she'd hold me until I fell asleep."

Zed laughed lightly. "I just remembered, there was a story about a Zombie falling in love with a human."

Addison grinned slightly. She turned her head to look at him. "You're kidding?"

"How could I forget? It was one of my favorites. All they ever wanted was their happily ever after. Their…" he grinned and nudged her shoulder. "…someday."

Addison gave a hearty laugh. "That's so cute!" she gushed. "Oh my god, our relationship mirrors a bedtime story your mom told you. I literally love it!"

Zed smiled at his girlfriend's excitement. "How does it end?" Addison asked.

"Movies and long walks in the park," he sang, soft and slowly. "Handing out anywhere we want."

Addison smiled at him. "I like the way your thinking, I can almost see it."

"I love how every date we go on, we always end up singing ' _Someday_ '," Addison said with a smile. "Favorite song, tops. I wish we could record it so I could listen to it when you aren't around."

"We could try," Zed said. "Before the outbreak, Bonzo's parents had a small recording studio that ended up on the human side of town. They've still got the deed and everything. I'm sure we could work some Zeddison magic."

Addison grinned and squeezed his hand. "I like the sound of that."

"Zeddison magic?"

Addison smiled brighter and shrugged. "Or just the sound of your voice," she said in a sort of shy voice. "I feel like it's been forever since we've done something like this."

She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed happily. "I just love you so much," she went on. "I wish there was a stronger way to say I love you."

"I worship you," Zed offered meaningfully. "I'd trade my life for yours. I'd give up everything in my entire world just to have five more minutes with you."

Zed walked around so he was standing in front of her. He took her hand in his and placed it on his chest, pressing it against his heartbeat.

"Do you feel this?" he asked quietly. Addison nodded slightly. "This is the beat of my heart. My heart beats for you and only you. I love you because you make my heart beat."

"My heart beats for you and only you," Addison repeated, her voice strained from choked back tears.

She stepped forward and tilted her head up, just as he tilted his head down and they kissed, soft but passionately, like nothing else in the world mattered but each other.


End file.
